


Love's Script

by Yukari



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, M/M, a lot of talking about the events from the games, danganronpa is a fictional story and everyone is a fan of it, everyone is much happier than in canon, komaeda is not ill, komahina fluff later on, nerds playing themselves in a tv show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-08-07 17:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 167,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7723021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukari/pseuds/Yukari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hajime Hinata and his classmate, Ibuki Mioda, are big fans of the Danganronpa series. When the audition for the live action adaptation of the second game is announced, Ibuki is determined to play her favorite character… and she expects the same from Hinata. At first reluctant, he agrees to go with her… But did he make the right choice? Is he even going to survive?!</p><p>A non-despair AU where nobody dies and the nerds have fun playing in a TV show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A bet

**Author's Note:**

> DR3 is making me sad so I came up with an AU where I can pretend that none of this have actually happened

“…and that’s why Ibuki is saying that Hajime-chan should go with her!” A very energetic girl with multi-colored hair tried to convince her friend, a brown-haired teenager, to do something that he certainly had no intention of doing. Both were sitting in their school’s canteen, the boy trying to eat his lunch, and the girl successfully interfering with that.

“No way, Mioda. I’m not going to make an idiot out of myself,” he replied, pretending to be unconcerned.

“You’re not going to make an idiot out of yourself, cause Ibuki knows that Hajime-chan is actually a pretty good actor!” She exclaimed with a plea in her voice. “You know that they cast only amateurs anyway, so we may have a chance!”

“Why are you so persistent? I’m not an actor, and I’m not going to any audition with you,” the boy called Hajime sighed, sticking a French fry into her mouth to silence her. “Why can’t you go by yourself? You’re a musician, you perform in front of an audience, so it’s not like you’re too scared to go by yourself.”

“Ibuki just…” The girl was visibly disappointed, though tried not to show it. “Ibuki just wanted Hajime-chan to have fun too. Hajime-chan knows how much Ibuki wants to play Anju, and it would be great if she could do it… But Hajime-chan is a fan of this series too, right? So maybe he also could play one of his favorite characters…”

“You know, I’m a fan only because you showed me the games and forced me to play them…”

“Hajime-chan, you not only played the games, but also did all of the free time events, read the novels and mangas, and also watched the first season of the live action TV series,” the girl pointed out, making her friend’s face go red.

“I-it’s because it’s a really good story, okay?! It’s not like I’m a nerd…”

“You are.”

“…fine, I am!” He admitted. “But it doesn’t mean that I want to play in a TV series based on it! There isn’t even a character I would be good as…”

“It’s not for you to decide! Let’s just try, it won’t hurt, and we may meet the people from the cast of the first series!” She pleaded him, already losing hope.

These two were Ibuki Mioda and Hajime Hinata, the biggest fans of the Danganronpa series in their school. Said series contained games, novels, comics and, finally, live action TV series.  The first season was already out and actually did pretty great. To everyone’s surprise, it had a pretty huge budget, and the creators hired actual teens to play teens. Apparently their goal was to help young actors pursue their dreams, so the whole cast was made of amateurs.

And now, the audition for the second season, based on the second game, was announced. For both Hinata and Mioda Super Danganronpa 2 was their absolutely favorite part of the franchise, so it was pretty big news. Though Hinata was already tired of his friend’s excitement – Mioda went totally crazy and wouldn’t stop talking about how much she wanted to play Anju Inami, her beloved character. Yeah, it would be cool if she got casted as her actress, but Hinata wasn’t going to be a part of this madness. Being an actor means constant school absence, lack of free time and murderous rehearsals. And even if he went to the audition with her, there was no way he would get casted as anyone.

“The only characters that reappear in SDR2 are Kanata, Rei, Ryota and Sayaka,” he reminded her. “And they appear only in the last chapter, so if you want to be Anju you won’t meet them anyway.”

“Even the dead characters appear at the finale,” she pouted. “I beg you, Hajime-chan! At least come to cheer on me!”

“To have you forcing me to participate on the last moment?”

“Why are you so against this idea?”

“Dunno,” Hinata shrugged. “I’m just sure they won’t choose me anyway. I don’t have any acting skills.”

“You’re just afraid of being rejected by them!” Mioda exclaimed, as if she figured out the world’s most complicated mystery. “Hajime-chan doesn’t want to be disappointed after not getting casted!”

“Well, not going is the easiest way to avoid disappointment, isn’t it?”

“Okay, Hajime-chan, let’s make a bet!” The girl leaned closer to him over the table. “If any of us manages to get any of the roles, the one that doesn’t get to play must buy the winner a part of Danganronpa merchandise of their choice.”

“I already told you that I…”

“I’ll buy you that figurine that you’re missing in order to have all the trial point getters from SDR2,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper. Hinata immediately took the bait.

“Holy shit, it costs fortune, Mioda!”

“But Ibuki has enough money to buy it if Hajime-chan wins~,” she replied with a smug smile. “Does that deal sound appealing to you?”

“Yeah, but it’s practically impossible to win!”

“You won’t know until you try.” Mioda narrowed her eyes in another smile, slowly making Hinata annoyed. “And don’t worry, Ibuki won’t demand anything as expensive as that figurine, so just agree and come with her on Saturday!”

“Ughhh fine! I’ll go with you!” Hinata yelled finally, slamming his hand on the table. “But it counts even if I get casted as someone like Nichogi!”

“Oh, Ibuki is pretty sure that Hajime-chan is able to get a much better role than that,” she laughed, putting her hand on top of Hinata’s. “Let’s rock this scene, Hajime-chan!”

He couldn’t believe that he agreed so easily. There was no way he could win this bet, but the prize was actually worth giving it a try, so…

That’s how Hajime Hinata got framed into going to an audition for the adaptation of his favorite game.

This weekend’s going to be crazy.

 

 


	2. Protagonist's Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DR3 continues to make me sad so I wrote the next chapter  
> About the names - they're all going to be listed when the results of the audition are announced, but here's a mini-list of the most important ones and those that were mentioned so far. I hope that helps~  
> Hinata - Ryuusei Yokohama  
> Komaeda - Hiroki Suzuki  
> Nanami - Nana Yamada  
> Ibuki - Anju Inami  
> Kuzuryuu - Taizo Shiina  
> Hanamura - Shouhei Nichogi  
> Naegi - Kanata Hongo  
> Kirigiri - Rei Okamoto  
> Togami - Ryota Ozawa  
> Junko - Sayaka Kanda

Hinata agreed to meet Mioda in front of the building where the audition was supposed to take place, but as soon as he arrived it became obvious that finding her won’t be easy. Yeah, he expected a lot of people, they lived in a big city and this audition was a big chance for many young actors, but… These were literally shitloads of people. He wasn’t sure if he ever saw this many teenagers in one place, aside from school.

He decided to call Mioda, but when he actually tried to do so the only thing that answered him was her silly voicemail. Of course, picking up the phone in such crowd would be quite a stunt… The only thing he could do now was finding himself a place in the queue and waiting for it to move. But wasn’t he supposed to sign up first, so they could call his name later? It was all so confusing… Hinata was starting to regret coming here, even if it was for Nana Yamada’s figurine. Being a nerd was a pain sometimes. And it was all Mioda’s fault.

Absorbed by his thought, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings. He just wanted to find a place where he could hide to not get swallowed by the crowd…

But it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. When he finally thought that he found some free space he bumped into someone, almost knocking that person down.

“Oh!” A soft voice muttered. “Sorry! It’s my fault, I wasn’t looking where I’m going…”

“The same goes for me…” Hinata mumbled, moving his gaze up to see who he had walked into.

It was a boy. Most likely his age, since everyone here was about sixteen/seventeen. He was pretty much the same height as him and had brown hair too, but longer and in much brighter shade. Said boy was looking at him apologetically, with worry in green eyes.

“I’m really sorry,” he said again. “I’m an airhead, so it happens all the time…”

"It's fine. In this crowd it's hard to tell which limb belongs to you, so don't worry," Hinata tried to reassure him. "I wish there was some kind of secret passageway or something like that..."

"Oh, actually there is!" The boy said, his mood abruptly changing as he smiled cheerily. "I was trying to get there when I bumped into you, so as an apology I can take you with me!"

"Huh?"

Before Hinata had the chance to ask anything, the stranger boy grabbed his hand and pulled him into the crowd again. But he didn't drag him in the direction of the entrance door - to his surprise, he led him down the building and then to the right, so they ended up in the back of the facility.

"Hey, where are you dragging me?!" Hinata called out to the boy, who was still holding him by his wrist.

"Calm down, I'm not about to do anything bad. We're just going to use the back door," he laughed.

"Huh?!" Hinata gasped. "How is that not anything bad? We're going to get in trouble!"

"No, we're not," the stranger replied casually. "I have the key."

"HOW THE-"

"Hey, calm down!" The brown-haired teen, still laughing awkwardly, finally let go of his hand and raised both of his in the gesture of giving up. "My cousin gave it to me, he used to work here. It's fine, he told the person supervising the audition and she agreed."

"Your cousin...?" Hinata looked at him warily. Actually, something about him seemed familiar. Was his cousin also an actor?

"Yeah. He was the one to force me to come here," the boy said, smiling half-heartedly. "Anyway, let's go and sign up, okay? This way we won't wait that long for our turn."

"Are you absolutely sure that it's fine?" Hinata asked one more time. He only came here because of his bet with Mioda. There's no way he's going to get into trouble just like that, he's not that naive.

"Completely," the stranger confirmed with a nod. "And if anything happens I will take the blame, so don't worry."

"You didn't need to add that second sentence," he muttered, but in the end followed that boy to the door.

The corridors in the back of the building were all dark and empty, making Hinata think that maybe he shouldn't have listened to him after all. All of this was just screaming 'trespassing'. What if he was actually breaking law for the first time in his life? Everything because of some guy whose name he didn't even know...

After some minutes of walking down the empty hallways they finally entered a bigger room filled with people. Unlike outside, here they were lined up properly, waiting for they turn to sign up. Hinata sighed in relief, almost feeling bad for sneaking through the back door and not waiting like them.

"Ehm... Excuse me..." His companion walked up to the desk to which the queue was lined up and put the hand with the key on the counter. "Is Yukizome-san anywhere nearby? I'm..."

"Oh, it's you!" The girl taking the applications turned to them with a smile. "Chisa-chan can't be here at the moment, but she told me that you're going to come. You're Nagito Komaeda, right?"

"Yhm, it's me," he replied, smiling back at her. "And someone's with me. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all!" She exclaimed happily, glancing at Hinata. "You've brought a friend?"

"Something like that..."

"Okay boys, I would love to chat with you, but we have to hurry or else the people in the queue will eat me alive," the girl laughed. "Both of you, give me your full names and your age, and I'll give you your numbers. From now you'll just have to wait for your number to appear on one of the screens, and that will mean it's your turn."

“It’s Nagito Komaeda, and I’m seventeen,” he said, then looked at Hinata, encouraging him to do the same.

“Hajime Hinata, and I’m also seventeen…” he mumbled. The girl typed their answers in her computer, then reached for one of the sheets of paper she had on the desk. She wrote something down, tore the paper into two pieces and handed it to them.

“These are your numbers. Be careful not to lose it. You can always come here and ask me to check it again, but I’m pretty busy, so…”

“Thanks, we’ll make sure not to lose them,” Komaeda replied politely. “I hope you’ll have a nice day.”

“You’re pretty similar to him, you know?” She laughed. “It’s so obvious that you’re related...”

“You think so?” He wondered. “I don’t really think we’re that similar… Anyway, sorry for taking your time, we’ll be going.”

“Show them your awesome acting skills, Komaeda-kun!” The girl exclaimed enthusiastically. “I wish you both best luck, kids!”

Both of them started walking away from the counter, Hinata still feeling rather awkward, and his new companion waving at the girl at the desk.

“Who is she…?” He muttered, when they went away for some meters.

“I heard about her. She’s a part-timer here, helping the filming team,” Komaeda replied.

“Also, who exactly are you?” Hinata asked, earning a surprised look. “I mean, it seems like you have it pretty easy here. Who the hell is your cousin?”

“Oh, he’s a part of the first series’ cast.” Komaeda smiled. “His name is…”

“Wait, don’t say it!” He interrupted him, suddenly realizing something.

Reddish-brown hair. Green-gray eyes. Kind smile.

“No way… You’re Makoto Naegi’s cousin? Am I right?” Hinata uttered in shock.

“So you figured it out? Maybe we’re really a bit similar…”

“You are, but… Damn, you’re related to the guy who played my favorite character from the first game. I can’t believe my luck,” he said with disbelief in his voice.

“I think it’s a pretty bad luck, meeting someone like me,” Komaeda laughed carelessly. “Yes, Makoto and I are related, but I’m nowhere near as cool as him. Anyway, what are you going to do? We can’t stand here forever.”

"Right, I should look for my friend. She's supposed to be somewhere here... Though I doubt I can do anything with this many people around," Hinata sighed with resignation.

"Then let's look for some quiet place so you can call her," the other boy suggested. "It's not the best idea, but I can't think of any other way, sorry..."

"I guess it's the best option." He nodded. "Any suggestions?"

"Makoto told me that there's a cafe for the actors on the second floor. I doubt many people figured it out already," he stated. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure, but it's probably okay if I'm with you."

When he said it Komaeda blinked in surprise, but then smiled widely again. "Then I'll show you the way."

It was a bit strange, suddenly becoming all buddy-buddy with someone he only just met, but that Komaeda didn't seem like a bad person. Maybe he was a bit carefree, but something was weirdly comforting about the way he was smiling at him. Hinata followed him again, deciding to put a bit more trust in him.

"So your name is Hinata-kun?" He asked, as they walked up the stairs. "I know we had a weird start, but it's nice to meet you."

"You too. You're Komaeda, right?"

"I'm happy you remembered it," he laughed.

"Of course I would remember. And... Thanks a lot. I mean, for getting me here without waiting. I can’t be sure that I wouldn't go home if I had to wait so long," Hinata admitted.

"It's true that you don't look exactly happy to be here," Komaeda noted.

"I was forced, just like you," he sighed. "By that girl I should be looking for... Is it here?"

The two boys finally arrived in front of some double door. His companion walked up to them and pushed one side, opening it and waving at Hinata to go inside. The first thing he has noticed after entering the room was a brightly lit screen, showing a number. It was probably one of those mentioned by that girl earlier... Well, it wasn't anywhere near his number yet, so he could relax. He turned his head away from the screen and began looking around.

The café seemed like a nice place, with its comfy-looking benches, pretty furniture and general atmosphere. The actors really had it good... Like Komaeda said, there weren't many people, but some of the applicants already found their way there.

"You can try calling your friend, and I'll buy us coffee, okay? Which one do you want?" Komaeda asked, already heading to the counter.

"Wait, I don't..."

"You don't like coffee? Then..."

"Let me finish. I haven't brought any money."

"It's fine, I intended on paying anyway," he smiled at him yet again, taking a wallet out of his black hoodie's pocket.

"I can't let you pay for my drink, I barely know you..."

"It's really fine, Hinata-kun. Let's just say that both of us will get a role today, and we will hang out once again so you could repay me."

Hinata wanted to protest more, but Komaeda's expression was telling him that he already decided. "Fine," he sighed. "Just buy me the same thing as yourself."

"Sure!"

He could only think that the thing Komaeda said about himself in the beginning, about being an airhead, was to some extent true. This guy had so much positive energy that naturally reserved Hinata wasn't sure how long would he be able to deal with him. Though his friend and classmate, Ibuki Mioda, wasn't really better. She was worse, if anything. Was he attracting these weird creatures or something?

Remembering that he was supposed to call Mioda, he took out his phone and chose her number. He hoped she would pick up this time, it didn't have any sense if they weren't in this together...

" _HEY HEY, HAJIME-CHAN!"_ The voice on the other side of the speaker was so loud he had to move the phone away from his ear.

" _For god's sake, Mioda, turn the volume down, I don't want to go deaf!_ " Hinata hissed to the speaker.

" _Oops, sorry! Ibuki was just happy to hear Hajime-chan, since she was looking for him all over!"_

_"You should've just answered the phone when I called you earlier..."_

_"Does Hajime-chan even know how loud this queue is?!"_ She yelled, making Hinata move the phone away from his ear again. _“Well, he probably knows… Since he’s somewhere around here too, right? You didn’t leave Ibuki alone, right!?”_

_“Well, I didn’t, but too bad, I’m not in the queue. I’m already inside.”_

_“HOW THE HECK-“_

_“SHOUT AT ME ONE MORE TIME AND I’M HANGING UP.”_

_“Ibuki’s sorry, please, don’t hang up!”_ She whined at his threat. “ _But how did Hajime-chan get inside so easily? Ibuki have been standing here since this morning!”_

 _“I guess I got lucky. Somebody helped me,”_ Hinata replied. _“But don’t worry, okay? It’s not even nearly my turn for the audition, so I’ll be waiting for you.”_

_“At least tell Ibuki where, so she could find you!”_

_“There’s a cafeteria on the second floor, you’ll find it somehow, I believe in you.”_

_“Okey dokey, Hajime-chan! Ibuki will do her best!”_

_“You’re only standing in the queue so far.”_

_“It’s also a challenge! Oki, the people are moving, so Ibuki will be going! See ya later!”_

And with that she hung up. Hinata only sighed, sticking the phone back into the pocket of his jeans. It was always hard to keep up with her. They have known each other for a pretty long time, since they attended the same middle school before, but Hinata couldn’t keep up with her pace so he was always ending up dragged along by her.

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda’s voice brought him back to reality. He turned to him to be greeted with a warm smile and a paper cup smelling like coffee. A pretty good coffee, judging by that smell. “Is everything okay? Will that girl be able to find you?”

“I sure hope so. She’s a scatterbrain,” Hinata stated, not even feeling bad about calling Mioda like that. “Anywhere, let’s find ourselves a place.”

“If you don’t mind the company of someone like me,” he laughed again, even though there was nothing funny about it. Hinata noticed it earlier, but he chose to ignore it. Now he could see it even more clearly, but he wasn’t sure whether Komaeda was doing it on purpose or not…

He was putting himself down. What’s worse, he was doing it with a smile. Suddenly Hinata felt a little weirded out by that, though he was sure that bringing that up wasn’t a good idea. He got himself a companion, so he shouldn’t be nosy to a person he had only just met. And he had literally no idea if they will ever meet again, so spending this short time they had in an awkward atmosphere would feel wrong.

Komaeda handed him one of the paper cups he was holding, and then they both automatically headed towards a table near the window. So there were cases when they could think in a similar way…

“I wonder how long it will take her to get inside,” Hinata sighed, taking a sip from his cup. “Hey, this is pretty good! You’ve got good taste, Komaeda.”

“I’m glad you like it then. Komaru always says that nothing I like actually tastes good,” he laughed awkwardly.

“…Komaru?”

“She’s Makoto’s little sister. Though she’s a little… more peculiar than him,” Komaeda explained. “But she’s a really nice and kind girl.”

Hinata found himself smiling. Usually when someone talks about their family they’re always complaining how annoying and nosy they are, but Komaeda only talked about his cousins like they were the nicest people in the world. It was a small detail, but it meant a lot.

“Must be nice to have cousins like this,” he stated, not really knowing what to say, but still wanting to convey his feelings. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something!”

“What is it?”

“Do you have any particular character you would like to play? I know you came here because Naegi wanted you to, but, you know…”

“…any particular character…?” Komaeda repeated with consternation written on his face. Hinata immediately realized that not every person who came here had to play the games. Maybe he didn’t know them…?

“Agh, sorry, I forgot to ask if you had played the game!” He apologized instantly. “I just assumed that everyone knows it, even though probably only nerds do…”

“No, no, I’ve actually beat all of them,” Komaeda interrupted his apologies. “I’m a fan, to be honest. Though I also didn’t expect many fans to appear here… So you too…?”

“Yeah,” Hinata nodded enthusiastically, maybe a little too happy about meeting another fan than he should be. “That girl I’m waiting for is also a fan. She actually introduced me to the series, you know?”

“It was the same with me and Makoto,” Komaeda giggled. “Now Komaru says that he has created a monster.”

“Then you probably have a character you would like to play as, right?” Hinata renewed his question. Mioda once told him that a person’s favorite character says a lot about them, and since her fave was Anju Inami, there had to be something about it.

“Honestly, I didn’t think about it.” The boy suddenly became much more serious. “I mean… There’s no way I would get casted… So…”

“You won’t know until you try,” Hinata repeated Mioda’s words.

“Then what about you?” Komaeda asked. _Nice job trying to avoid the question_ , Hinata thought.

“Dunno.” He shrugged. “I guess the protagonist would be cool, I like Yokohama a lot… Though being the main character seems like a lot of work, and it’s definitely not for me, as I have basically no skills. Aside from him, Shiina is also a great character, and he’s from the supporting cast, so maybe…?”

“I think you would do great as Yokohama,” the green-eyed boy stated unexpectedly.

“Huh? Where is that coming from?”

“Just a hunch,” he let out a warm laught. “I’m good at sensing potential in others. I’m sure you have an amazing talent, you’re just not aware of that yet.”

“And it may be the same for you,” Hinata pointed out. “Don’t be like that. I told you who I would like to play as, now’s your turn.”

“Ehm…” He sheepishly looked away, avoiding Hinata’s gaze. “I feel a little stupid saying it, but… It’s just like you said, playing the protagonist would be great. Yokohama is one of my favorite characters… Though I don’t think I’m a suitable actor for him.”

“Why?”

“Eh?” Komaeda looked up again, and immediately began laughing half-heartedly. “I just know it, Hinata-kun. I’m actually pretty sure I would do better as Suzuki if they asked me to.”

Hinata was sure that he was most-likely staring at his companion wide-eyed. “Suzuki? But isn’t he like the hardest character to play? You know, he’s rather twisted…”

“You think so?” Komaeda wondered. “I don’t know about it… But… To be honest, I’m not particularly fond of him…”

“Well, he’s a pretty controversial character,” Hinata nodded, taking another sip from his cup. “It’s hard to decide whether you should like him or not.”

“So you don’t know?”

“No, I was talking in general. Personally, I like all the trial point getters, but it’s a different kind of ‘like’ for every one of them…” He tried to explain, but he realized he was stepping into a dangerous territory. Two nerds talking about characters they liked and disliked… That could be bad.  “I mean, I can’t just dislike such an interesting character, you know? This game basically wouldn’t exist without him.”

“It’s a bit surprising,” Komeda said. “Though maybe it’s true to some extent. The stronger the fans feel about a character, the bigger success it means for the writer, I guess.”

“Exac-“ Hinata wanted to agree, but something abruptly interrupted him. Or maybe someone.

“HAJIME-CHAN, ARE YOU IN THERE!?”

“Oh no,” he muttered, at first considering ignoring her, so he wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed for knowing her.

“Is it your friend, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda asked, curiously looking in the direction of the door.

“I don’t know her.”

“But…”

“Here you are, Hajime-chan!” After this both of them involuntarily turned in the direction of the loud girl, who happily ran up to them and pretty much threw herself at Hinata. “Why didn’t you wait for Ibuki?! That’s so mean of you, Ibuki feels let down!”

“Eh?! I…”

“And you even found yourself a friend when I wasn’t looking! Ibuki’s jealous!”

“Listen, you little…”

“I was just keeping Hinata-kun company while he was waiting for you,” Komaeda spoke up in a polite manner. “You can take him with you now.”

“Traito-“

“Yaaaaay! Hajime-chan has to go on a tour with Ibuki, this building is sooooo huuuge!” Mioda exclaimed happily, pulling at Hinata’s arm to make him stand up.

“Alright, but…”

“Man, everything is so awesome, Ibuki’s starting to regret that she didn’t bring a camera!” The girl laughed, dragging him towards the door. Hinata finally gave up and decided to follow her, not being able to see any other option. In the last moment he turned to the boy whom they have left behind.

“Thanks for the coffee, Komaeda!” He shouted to him. “Do your best later, so we can meet again!”

“Same to you,” he replied with a smile, and then Hinata got pulled out of the cafeteria by the overly enthusiastic Mioda. He was a little disappointed that their conversation got interrupted and ended like that, but…

Somehow he had a feeling that they will have another occasion to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Komaeda - he's not ill in this fic, so I decided to go with his (probably) natural hair color. I saw these (http://kurokku-tokei.tumblr.com/post/130237366152/redrawing-old-doodles-011more-forced-myself) drawings of Komaeda with brown hair and I completely fell in love with the idea. I also didn't want to make him as lonely as he is in canon, and that's what the Naegis are here for~  
> also how do you even write Komaeda without making him seem ooc i'm crying here


	3. The other main hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this earlier but I'm visiting my family and didn't have the time ;-;  
> In this chapter you can expect: Chisa being awesome, Ibuki talking about her ships, the audition and its results, and also Nanami playing Pokemon Go

“Okay Hajime-chan, so Ibuki asked the people who had already returned after being auditioned and they say that it’s only one person that judges you,” Mioda said when there were only about five persons before Hinata’s turn.

“Only one? Are you serious?” He muttered in surprise. It seemed unreal…

“That’s what they’re saying, Ibuki only repeats.” She shrugged. “She’s called Chisa Yukizome-chan. You know, she’s the head director here, and also the same person who was the director for the first season. But don’t worry, Hajime-chan! They also say that she’s really, really nice, so you totally forget that you were nervous!”

“Is that even possible…?” He said with a little strained voice, as he watched the numbers on the screen near the door to the audition room change.

Shouldn’t Komaeda have a number right next to him? Which one, the one before him, or the one after him? He couldn’t see him anywhere near though…

“Just stay calm and everything will be fine! Do it for the Nana-chan figurine, your Ryuusei-chan and Hiroki-chan need their third trial point getter!”

“I know, I know! That’s what I came here for!” He mumbled, wishing it could be so easy to just stay calm.

Apparently auditioning one person didn’t take much time, as the numbers were changing pretty fast. Finally, it was Hinata’s turn.

“So… Wish me luck, I guess,” he said to Mioda, with his hand already on the door’s handle.

“I believe in Hajime-chan!” The girl showed him a thumbs up and smiled widely. “You should believe in yourself too!”

“Right,” he nodded, returning her smile slightly. He took a deep breath and finally pressed the handle.

The room was dimly lit and seemed empty, except for some chairs, a table near one of the walls and black curtains. Hinata couldn’t guess it’s destination, but he was actually glad it wasn’t some big scene or something like that…

“Uhm… Hello?” He spoke up cautiously, stepping into the room. It looked like there was no one except for him…

“Aaah, wait a moment, okay?” A women’s voice said in response from behind the curtains. A moment later its owner emerged in front of him, holding a bundle of papers in her hands. “Sorry, being the only judge is a lot more work than I’ve expected…”

“It’s fine,” Hinata said, forcing a smile.

If that was Chisa Yukizome, then she was a lot younger than he expected. She actually looked no older than a college student would… She had her reddish-brown hair combed into a high ponytail and was wearing a blue dress.

“Nervous?” She laughed cheerfully. “Relax, there’s nothing to be scared of, it’s only me here. We know that it’s pretty stressful for young actors to immediately perform in front of a bigger audience, so they decided to let me handle this.”

“It’s a good idea, I guess…” Hinata muttered, scratching his neck awkwardly. He’s never been in a place like that before and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Meanwhile Yukizome put the papers on the table and picked one of the sheets.

“Your name is Hajime Hinata-kun, right?” She asked in a casual tone. “Our part-timer told me that you came here with Komaeda-kun.”

“More like I ran into him on my way here and somehow ended up tagging along…”

“So you got lucky,” she giggled. “Let’s get this started. Are you aiming for any particular character?”

“Not really. I have no idea who I would do best as…” He replied hesitantly. She will probably think that he’s not even serious, but what’s the point of lying.

“Hmm… It means we will take a bit more time, but it’s not a problem,” Yukizome exclaimed. “I’ll ask you to play some of the scenes from the script as various characters, so we’ll figure out which role suits you best, okay?”

Hinata only nodded, knowing that he doesn’t really have a choice. He just had to pull himself together and try doing whatever she asked him to do. He actually tried to practice acting like some of the characters before coming here, there was no way he would come completely unprepared… But who knows if that helped.

“Most of these are dialogues, so I’ll play the other person,” the women said, handing him one of the pages. “Let’s start with something fun, Hinata-kun.”

He scanned the piece of paper in his hands to find out that it was Issei Izaki’s introduction scene. Hinata liked this character, but playing as him would be a little…

Then he recalled what Yukizome said a moment ago. _Let’s start with something fun._ Right. He wasn’t supposed to get all serious, since Issei wasn’t a serious character. He had to go with the flow. Acting was supposed to be fun – that’s what he has learned so far.

_You can do it, Hajime Hinata._

It actually was fun. Yukizome’s acting skills were almost completely non-existent, so Hinata had to hold back laughter all the time, but it was just like Mioda has said – she was so nice that he really forgot about his nervousness. She asked him to play fragments of the script as almost all of the male characters, though he straight out refused when it came to Masahiro Inoue – this guy was just beyond his abilities. Was there even anyone capable of playing as him besides his voice actor from the game?

By the time he had to play a part of the class trial as Yokohama he already forgot that he was supposed to have a stage fright. He put everything he had into conveying his emotions into his acting, even though it probably still came out as clumsy and awkward. It didn’t matter – he did his best, and that’s what counts.

“You’re actually pretty great, aren’t you, Hinata-kun?” Yukizome said with a bright smile, laying her own script down. “You look like you’re having fun. I’m glad.”

“It’s just… I’ve been a member of a drama club in middle school. They kept telling us that enjoying yourself is the most important thing while acting, and I guess I took it to the heart…” Hinata laughed awkwardly. He and Mioda both belonged to the same club back then. That’s why she was so set on forcing him to come here – she knew that he actually likes acting. Though he had already forgotten about it himself…

“They were totally right!” Yukizome exclaimed. “Well, that would be all for now… Though…”

“Is anything wrong?” Hinata frowned when the women picked one of the pages again.

“There’s one more character I would like you to try. It’s a monologue, so this time you won’t have to watch my poor performance,” she said and hesitantly handed him the sheet. “If you don’t want to, you can refuse. There’s not many people who would like to play as him, and even less actually suitable for this…”

“Huh? Why?” He asked with surprise in his voice , immediately recognizing the scene printed on this page.

“Most of his fans are girls,” Yukizome sighed. “And even if there’s a boy aiming for this role… It’s too hard for them. But I want you to try anyway. Can you do it?”

Hinata swallowed loudly, suddenly feeling the heavy weight of someone’s expectations on his back. “I… I’ll try. But don’t expect much.”

The part he was asked to play was Suzuki’s monologue from the beginning of chapter two in the game. It was the only male character she didn’t ask him to play as before… Maybe because she didn’t know how much to expect from him – Suzuki was damn hard to play. His constantly changing behavior and twisted personality turned him into a role that probably even some professionals would be afraid to take…

But Hinata wanted to try anyway. He took a deep breath, then started talking.

“For a long time, humans have been taught that if you try hard enough, you can accomplish anything…”

***

"Waaaah, it's finally over!" Mioda stretched her arms over the table in the cafe when they've returned there after being auditioned. Her own turn went a lot faster than Hinata's, but there were still a bunch of people between the two of them, so it took some time. "Now we only have to wait for the decision!"

"So I can go home, right?" Hinata muttered, looking around the room, but the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He wondered how is that even possible, their numbers were literally next to each other, and yet he couldn't see Komaeda anywhere.

"Hajime-chan is staying here, just like Ibuki!" The girl pointed her finger at him with an angry frown. "We're not giving up until the very end! Seriously, Ibuki doesn't understand why Hajime-chan is so gloomy now. When you came out of the audition room you were smiling!"

"Yeah, I had fun, but that's all," he sighed. "Enjoying yourself doesn't mean you're great at the thing you're doing..."

"Eeeeeh?!" Mioda whined. "But Chisa-chan said that Ibuki did great!"

"She probably says something like this to everyone. Besides, Chisa-chan? You're already using her first name?"

"That's because Chisa-chan is so cool!" She exclaimed happily. "She's so funny and easy-going. Now Ibuki totally wants a role, so she can play with Chisa-chan more! It doesn't even have to be Anju, l just want to play, like when we were in middle school..."

"Did she ask you to try any of the other characters?" Hinata asked.

"Uhm! She asked Ibuki to play as Jamie-chan and Nana-chan too, though Ibuki's sure that she did best as Anju. The other girls are too serious for me."

"Is that so..."

Hinata recalled the moment after he was done with that Suzuki's monologue Yukizome asked him to do. It was a difficult part, but he was positive that he didn't do exceptionally bad... Yukizome looked like she was considering something for a moment, but in the end she remained silent. She thanked him, and then he left the room. That's all. She didn't say a word about his performance...

"Hey hey, Hajime-chan, what do you think, why there are two numbers on the screen right now? Ibuki thought it was supposed to be over..." His friend asked, returning him to reality.

"Huh?" Hinata uttered. "Dunno... Maybe they want some people to play a scene together? Like, you know, to see if they can work together... Jamie's and Inoue's actors for example."

"Oh. Ibuki haven't thought of this."

"Figures."

"Ibuki hopes that Jamie-chan's and Masahiro-chan's actors will look great together," she said in a serious voice."They're one of the best ships in the game."

"So you're at this again?"

"Shipping is important, Hajime-chan! If it wasn't important, they wouldn't have suggested so many ships!" She almost shouted. "Don't tell me you don't ship anything..."

"Uhm... I guess I do?" Hinata tried to remember what the relationships looked like in the games. Of course he paid attention to them while playing, but he didn't find shipping as important as Mioda... "Kanata and Rei seem like a good couple..."

"Right, right, Hajime-chan!" Mioda nodded enthusiastically. "They're my otp! Who else?"

"Ehm... Minami and Ohsawa from Ultra Despair Girls?"

"Right again! You're pretty good at shipping stuff!"

"I don't think that was the point of the games..."

Mioda went on about her ships for a while longer, and Hinata just sat there, thinking that she had so many of them that she could make a fleet. And seriously, ot3? What is that even?

Finally the screens went black, only to this time show them words instead of numbers.

"Thank you for participating in today's audition," Hinata read out loud. "We'll announce the results in half an hour. Please gather in the main hall."

"Finally!" Mioda immediately stood up, nearly making the table fall by accident. "Are you ready to be a star, Hajime-chan?!"

"Please, be quiet, people are staring at us..."

"Soon the whole country will be staring! Or, maybe I should say watching!" Mioda showed him a 'peace' sign and stuck out her tongue. "Cheer up, Hajime-chan!"

And, just like that, she ran out of the room, leaving Hinata there. Maybe she thought he would chase after her... but Hinata didn't really feel like it. This day was pretty tiring. He wished he could go home already...

He decided not to force his way to the platform from where most likely the results would be announced, but to stay near the exit, so he could leave immediately after hearing the cast's names. As a fan he was rather curious about the choices of actors, so he actually wanted to see these guys...

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice saying his name.

"Hinata-kun?"

He instantly turned in the direction of the owner of this voice. "Komaeda! Where were you this whole time? I was looking for you!" Hinata said, already regretting his words. Why would he care so much about a stranger?

The brown-haired boy also seemed surprised. "Huh? You were looking for me? Why?"

"I just..." Hinata tried to explain himself. "I wanted to ask how it went for you. Wasn't your number right next to mine?"

To his surprise, Komaeda laughed. "Sadly it wasn't. The girl by the table somehow mixed up the numbers and I was one of the last people to go in."

"W-what?! Is that even possible?!"

"Things like this happens. I'm a pretty unlucky person," he said, not really sounding like he cared.

"I would say extremely unlucky..."

"Anyway, Hinata-kun. How was your audition?" Komaeda asked, casually changing the topic.

"Probably pretty mediocre," he replied. "But could've been worse. That Yukizome knows how to handle teenagers."

"Right?" Komaeda smiled at his statement. “I’ve met her before, so I wasn’t even nervous."

"But she can't act for sure. Thanks god that Suzuki's part she asked me to play was a monologue. If it hadn’t been, I would’ve finally end up laughing."

"She asked you to play as Suzuki?" Komaeda asked curiously. "Which fragment?"

“His rant from the beginning of chapter two…”

“Then you had it easy,” he sighed theatrically, shrugging his shoulders. “I had to do the Suzuki’s villainous breakdown from the first trial.”

“Woah, isn’t it damn hard?” Hinata made a surprised face. “And didn’t you say that you don’t like this character anyway?”

“If they’re telling me to play, I will. It doesn’t really matter if I like him or not,” he said casually, but with a hint of disgust in his voice. “Think about it. Doesn’t it make it even easier? He calls himself a trash all the time.”

“Yeah, but it seems a little…”

Hinata didn’t feel like telling him that interpreting this character like this is wrong and probably means not understanding him at all. It would be too much of a bother, since if someone doesn’t like him, it would probably stay this way no matter what, even after explaining his reasoning. He just couldn’t bring himself to start an argument like that - not when talking to Komaeda seemed so easy and when he actually felt like they could get along…

“Ekhem, may I have your attention?” Yukizome’s voice suddenly resounded in the hall. When they turned in her direction she was standing on the platform, holding a wireless microphone. That explained how her words were supposed to reach everyone. “I think you’re all interested in what I have to say!”

“Hmp, just get it started,” some blonde girl in the front snarked loudly enough for them to hear.

“Don’t be so fast!” Yukizome pointed her hand at her. She couldn’t just point a finger, as she was holding some papers again. Hinata began to feel a little nervous, realizing that it’s probably a list of the chosen actors. “They say that the devil is happy when people are rushing!”

“I would be very happy if you actually rushed it,” the girl replied, making him wonder if she just acknowledged herself as the devil.

“Kids these days…” Yukizome shook her head, then raised the papers in her hand so she could read them. “Let me tell you something before I announce the results. All of you are really nice kids and I’m actually sad that I could only choose sixteen of you. I had to reject so many talented, young actors that it’s going to haunt me at night, but… I think I managed to gather the perfect cast. I hope you’ll think the same way after hearing their names.

“I would also like to apologize - I wasn’t the only person watching you. The rest of the filming crew were watching through a camera placed in the room. I hope you’re not angry – I needed their confirmation if my decisions are right.”

“Eeeeh?! So you lied to us!?” Someone from the crowd asked in a displeased tone.

“It was a totally innocent lie,” the women laughed. “Alright, let me present the results to you!

“Firstly I would like to announce the reappearing characters. Probably all of you already know these guys, since the cast from the first series doesn’t change,” she said. “They didn’t even need to come here today, but I want to confirm it anyway. So, just like before, Kanata Hongo will be played by Makoto Naegi, Rei Okamoto by Kyouko Kirigiri, Ryota Ozawa by Togami Byakuya, and Sayaka Kanda by Junko Enoshima.”

“So if you got casted as the main hero you would get to work with your cousin, eh?” Hinata muttered to Komaeda, who only smiled half-heartedly.

“The chanced are very low though,” he whispered back.

Many people in the crowd suddenly looked much more excited than before. Maybe the reminder that getting casted means meeting the actors of their favorite characters worked here... Then Yukizome started talking again.

“Let’s get to the actual participants of the killing game! We’ll leave the trial point getters and survivors for the end, to make you even more curious.”

Everyone in the hall, and probably even those outside, immediately stopped talking. The tension in the air seemed almost visible.

“The impostor of Ryota Ozawa will be played by Ryota Mitarai-kun!”

“Hmp, obviously,” a pretty huge, blonde guy in the front snarked. “There’s no one as fitting for that role as me.”

“I wish I had this much confidence…” Hinata mumbled, making Komaeda giggle.

“Shouhei Nichogi’s role goes to Tetuteru Hanamura-kun!” Yukizome continued, not paying attention to that guy’s snarky comment.

“Ohoho, so I’ll get to play with so many beautiful ladies!” Some short, brown-haired guy standing not so far from them spoke up, only to be shot down by another, pink-haired one.

“You don’t know yet if they’re going to be beautiful…”

“Well, I’m fine with handsome boys too!”

The terrified look on the pink-haired boy’s face was most likely one of the most hilarious thing Hinata has even seen.

“Rina Chikura will be played by Mahiru Koizumi-san!”

“You did it, big sis Mahiru!” The blonde devil from before exclaimed happily, throwing herself in some red-haired girl’s arms.

“Y-yeah…” she muttered, obviously happy, but also embarrassed.

“C-congratulations, K-koizumi-san…” Another girl, this time a brunette, muttered, but flinched when the blonde one sent her a glare.

“Next is Yuuri Hamagashira. She will be played by Peko Pekoyama-san!”

"See, Peko?! I told you, you can do it!" A short, blonde boy yelled happily to a gray-haired girl, whose cheeks instantly turned pink. "I'm so happy for you!"

"N-now it's important for you to get a role yourself," she muttered, fixing her glasses.

"Ayumi Mizukoshi will be played by Hiyoko Saionji-san!" Yukizome exclaimed next. "She's going to be the youngest actor in the cast, so congratulations!"

"I knew it!" The blonde devil yelled. "I knew that it has to be me, I'm the only one that can play with big sis Mahiru!"

"Good job, Hiyoko-chan." The red-haired girl called Koizumi patted her on the head with a smile.

“Anju Inami…”

“Oh,” Hinata muttered involuntarily, earning Komaeda’s attention. “It’s the character my friend wants to play. She totally loves her.”

“I see…”

“Anju Inami’s role goes to Ibuki Mioda-san!” Yukizome stated with a wide smile, looking at someone in the crowd. When Hinata tried following her gaze he noticed his classmate, crying and almost strangling some blonde girl with a braid. “I want to add that Mioda-san is just cut out to play this role. Look at her, she’s the real life Anju.”

“Wuaaaaaaaah!” Mioda suddenly started crying much louder. “Ibuki is so happy, she’ll do her best! Chisa-chan is honestly amazing!”

Some laughs resounded in the room, as everyone stared at the girl with amusement. Even Yukizome giggled fondly. “I think everyone can see that we’ve made the right choice.”

“I’m happy for her, but shit, I’ve lost the bet,” Hinata whispered to Komaeda with a frown.

“A bet?”

“Yeah. Whoever gets a role wins, and the loser has to buy the winner something from the Danganronpa merch…” He sighed, totally beaten. It seemed like he had to say goodbye to his allowance this month.

“You haven’t lost yet, Hinata-kun…”

“Yhm…”

“Next is Maasa Sudo. This role goes to Mikan Tsumiki-san!”

“E-eeh?” The brunette standing near Saionji and Koizumi uttered as her eyes widened. “M-me?”

“Yes, you, Tsumiki-san,” Yukizome confirmed. “Cheer up, you did great! I’m looking forward to working with you!”

“T-thank you so much!” The girl bowed to the director, nearly tripping herself over and earning a quiet ‘tch’ from Saionji.

“You’re welcome! As for Kunihiro Kawashima, he will be played by Nekomaru Nidai-kun!”

“Ahahaha, every man would be glad to accept a challenge like that!” A guy looking much too old to be a teenager laughed. Well, Hinata had to admit that Kawashima in the game didn’t look like a teen either, so it was a pretty good choice.

“…and Masahiro Inoue will be played by Gundam Tanaka-kun!”

“Tanaka-san, you did it!” The blonde girl who almost got strangled by Mioda earlier finally freed herself from her embrace and turned to the boy next to her. A boy looking pretty much like someone in the middle of experiencing a chuunibyo syndrome.

“Well, that certainly wasn’t an easy obstacle to overcome,” he muttered, covering his face with a scarf to hide his flushed cheeks as the girl took his free hand.

“I wanted to leave the trial point getters for the end…” Yukizome muttered, probably forgetting that the mike is still on. “Let’s get to the survivors first!”

“Finally,” someone in the crowd shouted.

“What, you hope that you’ll get a role? It’s not that easy!” He gaze turned stricter. “The four characters I am about to announce were really hard to choose!”

“Four…” Komaeda mumbled. “So Jamie, Takahashi, Shiina and Izaki.”

“Seems like we’ll have to wait to see Suzuki, Yokohama and Yamada…”

“Though I had some other bets too, Issei Izaki will be played by Kazuichi Souda-kun!”

“Woah, really me!?” The pink-haired guy from before yelled with an audible shock. “That’s crazy!”

“…didn’t you come here because you wanted to play?” Hanamura asked him.

“I wanted, but I never really expected I’ll get to do it!”

“Princess Jamie’s role goes to Sonia Nevermind-san! To be honest, she was unmatched when it comes to this character!”

“Yes!” The blonde girl accompanying Gundam Tanaka let out a happy cry. Hinata could easily notice all the envious glares the other girls were sending at her – Jamie was a popular character after all. In addition she was a survivor, what only doubled the number of people wanting to play as her.

“Congratulations, my Dark Lady,” Tanaka said to her, earning a dazzling smile from Sonia. Hinata noted that the girl was actually quite beautiful. Her looks most-likely also played a part in her getting casted as Jamie…

Then he noticed Mioda watching the couple with big, sparkling eyes. Oh god. Time to cut ties with her.

“Taizo Shiina will be played by Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu-kun! I just couldn’t separate him from Pekoyama-san,” Yukizome giggled, looking at said teenagers. She didn’t have to wait long for a reaction. The boy’s face immediately turned completely red.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” He shouted angrily.

“It means that you get to play with your beloved friend. Be happier about it,” the women replied. “Also, Yuu Takahashi’s actress will be Akane Owari-san!”

“Do I get to eat all the food she eats in the game?” A dark-skinned girl asked, causing Yukizome to make a surprised face.

“I think yes…”  
“Then it’s great!” Owari smiled widely and showed her a thumbs up.

“Oh…” Yukizome stared at her for a while, then shook her head. “That’s it when it comes to the survivors. What’s left are the three main characters.”

“So no luck for us…” Hinata said, but Komaeda raised a finger to his mouth, with that gesture asking him to be quiet. It surprised him, but seeing his companion’s serious expression he decided not to ask.

“Let’s start with Hiroki Suzuki,” Yukizome stated, and an audible murmur of whispers went through the room. “He’s a character that’s extremely difficult to play. He’s controversial. A person casted as him has to make the audience feel extreme emotions – love, hatred, sympathy, confusion. I’m sorry, but I think only a few of you would be capable of doing it, and… There is only one person I’m absolutely sure can pull it off. I’m honestly impressed by his acting skills, because what he showed me was completely amazing. This person is Nagito Komaeda-kun.”

“I kind of expected this…” Said boy sighed, actually looking… disappointed?

“You’re shitting me…” Hinata managed to utter. “So it turns out than in reality you’re pretty amazing?”

Some of the people in the crowd started applauding, what made Komaeda to force an embarrassed smile. “I wouldn’t call it like that…”

“No, that’s definitely amazing.” Hinata shook his head, and then added in a quieter tone. “But is it really alright with you?”

The brown-haired boy instantly changed his expression, narrowing his eyes and side-glaring at him. “A talentless person like you doesn’t have any right to question me, Hinata-kun.”

He wasn’t sure how shocked he looked at that moment, but probably it wasn’t a little, since a few seconds later Komaeda began laughing at him. “…or something like this. Sorry, Hinata-kun, I couldn’t help myself.”

“…it was acting?”

“Yhm, pretty much.”

The people standing closest to them were still watching them curiously, and some of them were whispering something to each other. Hinata couldn’t hear clearly what it was, but he caught something that sounded like ‘it looks like they found a good actor for Suzuki after all’…

He actually felt a little envious. For a person forced to come here, Komaeda turned out to be much too special for his taste. He’s going to be the only ordinary loser again…

“Looks like I don’t have to worry about you,” Hinata sighed, turning back to Yukizome.

“…wait a moment longer.”

“Hmm?”

“No, nothing,” Komaeda waved his hand with another forced smile. Hinata was starting to distinguish between his fake smiles and the real ones.

“Whatever…”

“…she may not be as controversial character as Suzuki, but is just as important, so I wanted to find as believable actress as I could. Nana is a quiet, natural person, so all of you who tried to stand out were automatically losing points,” Yukizome said, moving onto another of the trial point getters. “I believe I’ve found a girl perfect for that role though. I’m not sure if her acting skill are so extraordinary, or if she’s just a real-life Nana Yamada. This person is Chiaki Nanami-san.”

Earlier every casted person spoke up, or somehow demonstrated that Yukizome was talking about them, but it didn’t happen now. Whoever that Chiaki Nanami girl was, she stayed quiet.

“Erm… Nanami-san? Are you in there?” The women asked, looking around.

“Give me a moment…” A sleepy voice resounded somewhere close to the place Hinata and Komaeda were standing in. “I’ve almost caught him…”

People again shifted in their places, trying to figure out to whom that voice belonged. Finally most of them were looking at a pink-haired girl holding a smartphone in her hands. She looked pretty focused on whatever she was doing…

“She’s playing Pokemon Go…” Someone said.

“No way, in here!?”

“But look, isn’t she pretty good?”

“That’s what I’ve been talking about,” Yukizome laughed. “Isn’t she adorable? I just hope she’ll be able to play her role without getting distracted by games.”

After her words Nanami locked her phone and put it back into her pocket. “I’m sorry…” she muttered. “There was a Pikachu in here…”

“Pretty good choice, don’t you think?” Komaeda whispered to him. “She looks like a kind girl… And it seems like she likes games…”

_And she’s also pretty cute,_ Hinata thought. He didn’t mean it in that ‘love at first sight’ way. He meant it in a ‘she seems like such a gentle person that it automatically makes her pretty’ way. “I guess so…”

“That leaves only the protagonist,” the director continued. “But that was a surprisingly easy choice. Ryuusei Yokohama is supposed to be the most natural character here. He’s the definition of a normal teenager – a little sarcastic, cautious and self-conscious. He’s much more believable than Kanata in my opinion, and that’s what I’ve been looking for while auditioning you. I wanted the person playing him to be natural. Many of you seemed to be trying too hard. Yokohama is not like that – he casually says what’s on his mind, and usually it’s something that the fans can relate to.”

“Isn’t that a little too much to ask…?” Hinata mumbled. “We’re amateurs. Of course our acting isn’t perfect…”

“There was one person that caught my attention,” Yukizome went on. “He’s not a phenomenal actor. He completely misinterpreted some of the characters I asked him to play as, but his genuineness in playing Yokohama was so spot on that I decided to entrust this role to him. This person is Hajime Hinata-kun.”

For a moment he found himself frozen in his place. He couldn’t even utter a word, it seemed so unreal. It had to be a joke. It just had to. There was no way he would get casted as the protagonist. Not someone as boring and ordinary as him.

“Congratulations, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda said, placing a hand on his back. “I told you to wait, didn’t I?

“W-wha…”

“Hajime-chan is going to play Ryuusei-chan!?” Mioda yelled from her place. “Holy cow, this is so cool!”

“…it’s not a joke?” Hinata asked hesitantly. “And why the hell Komaeda is acting like he knew about it?!”

“Acting as if I know everything and just don’t want to tell anyone is my role, Hinata-kun.”

“What’s with this sudden sass!?”

“So they’re playing Suzuki and Yokohama...?” The whispers resounded again.

“They already knew each other…”

“Doesn’t it seem like they make a good duet?”

“I guess they’re alright…”

“That’s all for today!” Yukizome exclaimed. “One more time, thank you all for coming! I hope none of you gives up and we’ll meet again one day! To the group that got casted – please, gather in the audition room. The rest is dismissed!”

“Let’s go, Hinata-kun.” Without waiting for the shocked boy to get a grip of himself, Komaeda began to move towards said room. Hinata in turn was trying to figure out what just happened and why going home now seemed like an impossible task.

“Hey, wait for me!”

This day suddenly got longer.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say that I know absolutely nothing about the filming industry and I'm just writing whatever comes to my mind, but since Chisa wasn't a normal teacher I think we can assume that she wouldn't be a normal director either, right?  
> I also want to thank you for your comments, I really really really love them ;;;


	4. The heroine appears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DR3 is bad for my emotions but as least we got to see Komaeda's ass   
> Have another chapter where nothing bad happens (except for Nanami walking into a lamp)

“I can see that you’re exhausted, so I won’t torment you any more today,” Yukizome said when all of them gathered in the right place. This time the black curtains weren’t there anymore, making the room seem much bigger. It was still empty though. “I just want to congratulate all of you. I hope we’ll have fun working together!”

“Fun? Aren’t you here because it’s your job?” Saionji spoke up in a sarcastic tone, but the women kept on smiling.

“Yeah, it is my job,” she replied. “But I believe there is more to acting than just work. There’s no way to play something well if you don’t have fun at the same time. I believe the cast of the first series would agree with me.”

“Is that why you choose amateurs? Because their attitude is different?” Sonia asked.

“It’s one of the reasons,” Yukizome giggled.

Hinata was standing near the wall with Komaeda, still wondering what was he even doing here. He didn’t even want this role. He was fine with any role that wasn’t the protagonist. Playing Yokohama meant loads of people expecting the best from him. What if he lets them down?

Well, at least he didn’t have to buy Mioda anything. Welcome back, money.

“Cheer up, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda said to him quietly, smiling reassuringly. “I’m sure you’ll do great, and I’ll do everything I can to support you.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think that I can stop worrying this easily,” he sighed with resignation.

Then Yukizome raised her voice, making sure it reaches everyone.

“I haven’t asked it yet, but is anyone here not pleased with my choice? Like, they feel underrated, or think that they actually don’t want the role they got?”

Both Komaeda and Hinata looked at each other, knowing well what they were thinking. None of them were exactly happy with the character they got, even if their reasons were different. That thought somehow made Hinata feel more at ease. He even let out a quiet laugh and shook his head, letting Komaeda know that he’s fine with his role after all. Maybe playing Yokohama won’t be that bad after all. He won’t be alone in this.

When Komaeda returned his smile he became even more sure of it.

“If no, then I’m really happy!” Yukizome exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I want all of you to come here tomorrow. We’ll be signing the necessary documents, so those of you that are underage need to bring a written permission from their parents, okay? We’ll also have to measure you, so we can sew your costumes to make them fit perfectly.”

“Ibuki has a question!” Mioda raised her hand. “When does the filming start?”

Everyone nodded their heads, probably wanting to ask the same question, and Yukizome only smiled again. “Next week! That’s when your summer break starts, right?”

“Huh!? This fast!?” The girl made a shocked expression. “Ibuki has to prepare herself mentally!”

“You really don’t have to worry this much…”

“Right, Komaeda and Hinata have it worse,” the pink haired boy, Souda, spoke up. “They’re basically the first characters that get introduced and the first chapter is all about them. I feel bad for you, guys.”

Hinata didn’t even think of that yet, but it was pretty much it. He was the character with the biggest amount of screen time. The first one to be introduced. The last one to disappear from the screen.

“Freaking great…” He muttered, sighing again.

“Look at it from a different angle,” Komaeda said. “Yokohama and Suzuki are the only characters that appear in the first scene, so I’m probably the only person you’ll have to deal with at first.”

“You have a point.” Hinata recalled the scene on the beach. “Maybe it won’t be that bad.”

“What I see? Are the guys casted as those ‘we’re-not-even-friends-why-are-you-talking-to-me’ characters best buddies? Interesting,” Saionji snarked. “I hope you’re as gay as them.”

“Hiyoko, don’t be mean to them,” Koizumi reminded her.

“What?! Best buddies!?” Mioda shouted, sounding pretty much terrified. “No way! Hajime-chan is Ibuki’s best buddy!”

“For god’s sake, Mioda, we’ve only just met…”

“Oh. You’re right,” she concluded without arguing any further, and it took everything for Hinata to not facepalm.

“What’s wrong with Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun being friends?” The pink-haired girl, Nanami, looked away from her phone for a moment and looked at them with worry. “I really hoped all of us could be friends…”

The whole group sent her a little surprised glance, but then most of the girls smiled, and some of the boys actually looked pretty embarrassed...

“Chiaki-chan! You’re so adorable!” Mioda threw herself at the quiet girl without hesitation and hugged her. “Of course we’re going to be friends! Besties!”

“I’m glad that you already get along so well,” Yukizome said, laughing happily. “I hope you’ll keep the high spirits up! Now you’re free to go home and rest well. Let’s meet again tomorrow around noon.”

“Ibuki has to go now! Hajime-chan, sorry that I’m not waiting for you, but I really want to tell my family! Bye to everyone!” She sent him an apologetic look before running out of the room as if there was a fire in there.

“Yeah…” He muttered, knowing that there was no chance she would hear him now. Like always, she was a few steps ahead of him.

The rest of them started leaving the room one after another, though some of them gathered into groups of two or three persons. It seemed that Hinata and his classmate weren’t the only ones that knew each other beforehand… He and Komaeda stayed a little behind, letting the others out first.

“By the way, Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun,” Yukizome called out to them. “I haven’t said it before, but both of you actually did pretty great as each other’s characters, so… I think there wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to switch, even if I think this choice is the most fitting.”

The boys exchanged glances, but both of them shook their heads.

“There’s no way I would be able to pull off acting as Suzuki. I’m not this talented,” Hinata admitted with a tiny bit of regret.

“And I actually don’t think there’s any other character that someone like me deserves to play, especially the protagonist,” Komaeda added with a smile.

He did it again. Komaeda spoke about himself in a way that Hinata could only call insulting. He was already opening his mouth to comment on that, but…

“Don’t say it like that.” Yukizome frowned and touched Komaeda’s shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any worries. Makoto would be sad,” he replied, moving away from her, with a smile still glued to his face. Then he looked at Hinata, who was starting to feel pretty lost. “I’ll also do my best for Hinata-kun’s sake, right? My character is important to his character. I promise, I won’t screw up anything.”

“Komaeda-kun…”

“See you tomorrow, Yukizome-san,” he didn’t let her finish and simply left the room.

When Hinata looked at the women she only gave him a half-hearted smile, and gestured at him to follow Komaeda.

“See you tomorrow, I guess,” he muttered and went after his new companion.

What that was even supposed to be? Why would Komaeda have to promise not to cause any problems? And why Yukizome seemed so worried about him?

“Hey, don’t leave me here just like that!” He said, catching up to the brown-haired boy.

“Sorry. I just didn’t want you to came up with any weird conclusions after that, so I decided to cut it off,” he replied, still unfazed.

“What do you mean by weird conclusions?”

“We knew each other before, so she knows that I’m airheaded. I don’t want her to worry so much,” Komaeda explained, but Hinata wasn’t convinced at all.

“Is that so…”

To not dig this topic, he reached for his cell phone to check the time.

“Shit!” The curse escaped his mouth before he could stop it. “Is it really this late?!”

“Is something wrong?” Komaeda asked while they both headed towards the exit.

“Now I know why Mioda left in such a hurry,” he sighed. “If I chased after her I wouldn’t have to wait another hour for my train…”

“You live close to each other?”

“Yhm. We’re also classmates.”

“Aaah?” He hummed, pushing the exit door so they could leave the building. “Must be nice. To have such a close friend.”

“We’re not all that close to be honest. We just hang out together sometimes and stick together at school,” Hinata said. “She once summed us up as people still waiting for their real soul mates to show up and keeping each other company in the meantime… And I think that’s pretty accurate.”

“But you still like her,” Komaeda pointed out, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well, I do. I can’t deny the fact that she’s always there for me when I need someone, and it’s mutual.” Hinata shrugged his shoulders, trying not to sound embarrassed. “Anyway, what about you? Where do you live?”

“Me?” He seemed surprised that Hinata actually cared about it. “Oh, it’s not far from here. I can get home by feet without any problems.”

“Some people really have it easy…”

“If you don’t mind, I can accompany you on the way to the station,” Komaeda offered. “I’m not an interesting person, but I may try keeping you from getting bored, since you still have an hour to wait.”

Hinata didn’t know how he should answer to a statement like this. Declining him would probably be pretty rude, and it wasn’t like he had something against Komaeda… No, he definitely didn’t have anything against him, it wasn’t like that.

But there was something weird about him. Something that was keeping Hinata from trusting him completely.

“Sure,” he replied finally, deciding to give him a chance. He honestly didn’t seem so bad. Maybe they could even become friends. “We can always chat about the games, since we’re both fans.”

“It’s a good idea!” Komaeda admitted with a smile. “So the most standard question to start would be… Who’s your favorite character all the time?”

“Man, it’s not that easy to choose one,” Hinata said, as they were making their way down the street, directing their steps towards the station. “You first.”

“Hmmm… That would be Kanata. He’s the ultimate symbol of hope, right?” He replied casually. “But I like a lot of characters. Kanata is just the most obvious choice. Now’s your turn, Hinata-kun.”

“I just can’t choose only one. My faves are the trial point getters from SDR2.”

“All of them?” Komaeda asked him, clearly not convinced.

“Yeah. I told you the same before, remember?”

“I just can’t believe you like Suzuki. He’s a terrible person,” Komaeda mumbled, his smile fading.

“He does screw up a lot of things, but he’s not irredeemable. And… liking terrible characters is still fine,” Hinata tried to explain his point. “They’re just fictional characters, not real people. I like Suzuki as a character, but I can’t say what I would do if I met a real person like him.”

“I guess that’s true,” he nodded. “Though I still don’t like him.”

“I’ve read somewhere an opinion saying that when it comes to Suzuki, you can only love him or hate him, there’s no in-between,” Hinata laughed, seeing Komaeda’s grumpy expression. “Seems like it’s true.”

“I just prefer Yokohama and Yamada over him,” he sighed. “There are other characters that deserve the hate more.”

“Right!” Hinata nodded. “Like that pickle demon child. You know, Kanna.”

“I agree, she’s horrible,” Komaeda laughed slightly. “Though I still despise Sayaka Kanda more.”

“I think that’s a given. If Kanna is a demon, then Kanda is the Devil,” he concluded, making the other laugh again. It was quite a pretty sound…

He thought of it before, but Komaeda really was easy to talk to. Even if their opinions didn’t match, he never tried to argue, but simply accepted that their way of thinking was different. Chatting like that they made their way to the station. When they were about to cross the gate, Komaeda pointed at something.

“Hey, Hinata-kun. Isn’t that the girl who is supposed to play Nana Yamada?” He asked. “I think her name was Nanami-san…”

Hinata looked in that direction to notice a pink-haired girl in a white hoodie, the same one he saw before. This time she wasn’t holding her phone, but some game console that he couldn’t recognize from the distance. “You’re right…”

They both stopped, watching Nanami with worry, as she was awkwardly walking towards a café in front of the station. She wasn’t even looking where she’s going – she seemed too absorbed by the game. Hinata had a feeling that something completely embarrassing is about to happen…

And he was right. The girl walked directly into a lamppost, dropped her console and fell to the ground with a quiet ‘ouch’. It didn’t seem like she hurt herself in any way, but Komaeda instantly frowned and run up to her, so Hinata did the same.

“Hey, are you alright?” He asked her in a worried tone, crouching down. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“I’m fine…” She muttered, looking for something on the ground. “There it is…”

Nanami grabbed the dropped console faster than Hinata would’ve expected of someone who looked so lethargic. She raised it to the evening sun to take a better look at it.

“Oh no… It got a scratch…” She said with such heartbroken voice that Hinata didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.

“Thanks god you’re okay,” Komaeda sighed with relief, ignoring her tragedy. “It would be a shame if we lost an actress because she got a concussion.”

“…actress?” Nanami mumbled, finally looking at them. “Oh, you’re…”

“Your new colleagues.” The boy smiled at her, then stood up and extended his hand to her. “Let me help you.”

“Thank you…”

For a moment Hinata thought that Komaeda was amazing. He helped him before, encouraged him and was the first person to befriend him, and now he was helping Nanami, looking so worried about her…

Maybe he really was just a good, a little self-conscious person and there was nothing more to him.

“You are… Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun, right?” Nanami asked when she finally got to her feet. “So you really are friends…”

“I guess you can call us that,” this time he decided to agree with that statement, earning another surprised look from Komaeda, who then smiled sheepishly and looked down.

“Though we only met today,” the boy added, despite that still looking pretty happy.

“Making new friends… is nice, I think.” Nanami looked at the console she was still holding. “I could never do that…”

“Why? I don’t see anything weird about you,” Hinata said.

“I just… Find it hard to talk to people. I don’t have anything interesting to say, beside talking about games…” She replied, tracing the scratch on the device with her finger.

“Then you can talk to us about games, right, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda suggested. “I’m surely no expert when it comes to gaming, but I do like it.”

“Same with me.” Hinata smiled at her warmly. Just like he thought, she appeared to be a gentle person. A little awkward, but who isn’t awkward these days? “It looks like the main trio have gathered.”

“You’re right…” Nanami’s eyes suddenly widened, as she looked at them with excitement written on her face. “All the trial point getters! Isn’t it awesome? They are such amazing characters!”

“Y-yeah…” Both Komaeda and Hinata nodded, not knowing how to react to her enthusiasm.

“I actually can’t believe that I got the role I wanted,” Nanami continued. “I love Nana and it was my dream to play her, and now it’s going to come true… I have to do my best, I think.”

So she was that kind of person to stay quiet most of time, but also ramble without thinking much when it comes to things she likes. In comparison, Komaeda seemed cautious pretty much the whole time he was talking with him, no matter what the topic was… And he himself was someone who often bluntly spoke whatever’s on his mind, but still knew when to shut up.

They were a rather odd trio if someone asked him, but it was okay. They had time to get to know each other better.

“Sorry that I made you step out of your way,” Nanami said. “Were were you going?”

“I was walking Hinata-kun to the station,” Komaeda stated.  “And you, Nanami-san?”

“I was… going to the station too, I think,” she replied. “But since I started aiming to play Nana… I began to play more and more games, and now I’m playing them all the time, so sometimes I lose my sense of reality,” she laughed a little. “And I walked into the lamp.”

That was actually kind of adorable, Hinata thought.

“She’s real,” he and Komaeda muttered at the same time.

“Eh?”

“Nana Yamada is real and is standing in front of us,” Hinata explained and the other boy nodded. “Anyway, the station? Which train are you waiting for?”

“The one at eight…”

“Same as me,” he said, surprised. “Is that possible that we live close to each other?”

“Who knows?” Nanami tilted her head, probably curious.

“Maybe I should leave the two of you now?” Komaeda asked suddenly. “Now that Nanami-san is here… Hinata-kun won’t be bored anymore, so there’s no reason for me to stay…”

“Stay,” Hinata said before he could stop himself. “There’s still some time, so stay with us.”

For a moment he seemed confused, as if he was wondering why Hinata would even suggest something like that… But then another smile appeared on his face, and… It was a really pretty smile.

“Thank you,” he said, even though there’s nothing to be thankful for. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

“The fun is only starting, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement… but then she looked back at her console, immediately becoming gloomy. “But I’ll have to be more careful…”

“If this scratch is bugging you so much, then you can always paint it over,” Komaeda suggested. “I’m not sure if finding the exact same color of paint is possible, but if you buy a really similar one and paint the whole thing carefully, no one should be able to tell the difference.”

“If I had any artistic skills then I would probably do it…” She muttered, sounding defeated.

“Then I can do it for y…” Komaeda offered, but stopped in midsentence. “Oh, sorry, you probably wouldn’t entrust something so precious to a trash like me, I’m sor…”

Hinata flinched at the word ‘trash’. He wanted to tell him to stop, but Nanami didn’t seem to notice.

“No, take it,” she said, shoving the device into the surprised boy’s hands. “You can hold onto it as long as you want, I think. I also don’t mind if you want to play…”

“Are you sure?” He asked, a little lost, and the girl nodded in response. “Then I’ll borrow it for a while…”

“If we finally determined what happens to the console, then let’s go,” Hinata reminded, deciding not to bring the topic of Komaeda’s behavior up in front of Nanami. He will probably talk to him some time later, when it’s only the two of them. There had to be a reason behind it, but pointing it out in someone’s else presence didn’t seem okay.

When they entered the station they figured out that Hinata and Nanami are indeed going in the same direction, so their houses could actually be pretty close. It was a nice surprise, to know that he won’t have to ride the train alone. When it comes to Komaeda… He pretty much fell silent after the two of them started chatting. He was listening to them, but… he looked tired. Or maybe bored…?

“I think it’s about time we part ways,” he said when their train finally arrived. “Thank you for putting up with my presence.”

“What are you thanking me for?” Hinata sighed, slowly losing his patience. “I actually kind of came to like you, you know? Stop sounding as if you were imposing on me.”

“Hinata-kun is right,” Nanami added. “I wish we could spend more time together, but… there is always tomorrow, right?”

“Right… I can always… see you tomorrow…” He muttered with a slight smile.

“Of course you can,” Hinata stated, turning away from him to enter the train. “See you.”

“See you tomorrow, Komaeda-kun!” Nanami waved at him, then followed in Hinata’s steps.

When the door has closed he sent one last glance at the boy still standing outside.

He wasn’t smiling anymore. He wasn’t even looking in their direction, gazing absent-mindedly somewhere on the ground. Hinata hoped he would get home safely and get some rest. He was kind of giving a vibe of someone pretty fragile…

“He’s a kind person, I think,” Nanami said unexpectedly, taking a sit near the door. “And you too. I’m glad I could meet the two of you today.”

“What are you talking about?” Hinata muttered, sitting down not so far from her. “We’re just normal.”

“Even if, I have a feeling that meeting you is a thing to be happy about.” She smiled at him brightly. “Maybe it was written somewhere, like in a script.”

“That was pretty cheesy, you know,” he laughed, watching Nanami puff her cheeks.

“You didn’t have to point it out, Hinata-kun.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way…”

“I know,” she stated. “But now you’ll have to play a game with me to compensate for this.”

“Even though I’ll most likely lose?”

“Even though.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to.”

A moment of silence fell between them, but it wasn’t that uncomfortable kind of silence. It was calm and peaceful, just like the girl sitting beside him.

“Hey, Nanami…” he spoke up quietly. The train was almost completely empty except for them, so there was no way she wouldn’t hear him.

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad I met you too. Both you and Komaeda. And I’m glad I got the role, so I can play with you,” Hinata said, not even feeling embarrassed while talking to her. “Even though I’m not all confident that I can do it… I’m still glad.”

“You can do it,” she replied. “You’re not in this alone. All of us… are probably hesitant, I think. But if we were chosen, then it means we can do it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, is that so.”

Hinata looked outside the window to see the last rays of the setting sun. This sight filled him with a weird kind of hope, though he didn’t know what he was hoping for…

“Thank you, Nanami.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I have no idea for which version of Nanami I am aiming while writing her - the real-life one or the AI, as for me they're two different characters... I guess I'll figure it out later.   
> Also, if you spot any mistakes, don't be hesitant to point it out! I'm still learning when it comes to writing in english, so I'm pretty sure the mistakes are here~


	5. The life of a rookie actor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is DR3 even real because at this point I'm pretty sure it's just the wildest dream I've ever had   
> Anyway, let me present you another chapter! This time you can expect the kids getting to know each other a little better~

The next day Hinata met both Mioda and Nanami on the station, already waiting for the train. To his surprise, the girls were dressed as their respective characters – Mioda as Inami, and Nanami as Yamada. It took him a moment to remember that Mioda was a cosplayer and she had this outfit for quite a while.

“When you press this button the character jumps, you see?” He heard Nanami’s mutter as he approached them. They were sitting on a bench close to each other, Mioda holding some game console, and the other explaining her what she should do.

“Ibuki sees, but… It’s still complicated.” She let out a sigh, but it seemed like she decided to try again. “It’s super duper awesome that Chiaki-chan can do it so easily!”

“So you found yourself a friend when I wasn’t looking? I’m jealous now,” Hinata paraphrased Mioda’s words from yesterday, letting them know that he’s here.

“Oh, Hajime-chan. Hello,” she said, not even looking away from the game.

“You’re not going to deny it?”

“Silence, Hajime-chan, you’re distracting me!” Mioda stuck her tongue out in concentration.

“What did you do to her?” Hinata asked, directing his question at Nanami.

“Me?” She pointed at herself. “Nothing. She just wanted to play…”

“I wasn’t asking seriously.”

“Oh…”

“Ibuki lost again!” Mioda yelled in annoyed voice, handing the console back to Nanami. “Ibuki gives up, she doesn’t have enough patience! How can you play it all the time, Chiaki-chan!?”

“I just like it, I think…”

Hinata wondered if that’s how it’s going to look like from now on. Going to work, and then back from it, with the company of Mioda and Nanami… It didn’t seem so bad, huh. Though calling being an actor ‘working’ still seemed surreal. The only things that were forcing him to believe that it wasn’t a dream was the fact that he made new friends, and the written permission from his parents to take part in this madness.

***

When they arrived almost everyone has already gathered in the hall, though Yukizome still wasn’t there. That meant they still had some time… Hinata immediately began looking around in order to find Komaeda. He still was a little worried about him… For no particular reason, but he was.

At first he thought he wasn’t there yet, but then he noticed a lonely silhouette in a black hoodie. Komaeda was sitting alone on the bench near the window, seemingly deep in thought. Somehow it made him look much different from the cheerful boy he met yesterday. As if there was something worrying him.

Just when he wanted to approach him, Yukizome’s voice resounded in the room.

“Good morning everyone!” She said cheerily, appearing in a door leading to one of many corridors Hinata never entered before. “I’m happy to see you again!”

“I hope you won’t regret these words soon,” Kuzuryuu muttered, suggestively looking at Saionji, who was standing next to him. None of them looked pleased by each other’s company.

“Did you say something, shorty?!” The girl snarked, glaring at him and getting another glare in response.

“One more word and I’ll bury you alive,” he hissed.

“It’s nice to see you so energetic, but I would prefer if you refrained from arguing,” Yukizome interrupted them.

“But…”

“I said something.” Suddenly the smile on her face didn’t seem so friendly anymore. It felt almost… threatening.

“Yes, Yukizome-san,” both Saionji and Kuzuryuu replied, as if they were at school and the women was their teacher.

“Now, let us proceed! I told you yesterday that today we’re going to sign the documents and check your sizes in order to sew the costumes, right?” She continued as if nothing happened. “Follow me. When it comes to the documents I would like to do it in the alphabetical order, but about the costumes… You can settle it between yourselves.”

“Hey, hey, Chisa-chan!” Mioda called out to her. “Ibuki already has her own outfit! Is it necessary for her to have another one?”

“It’s the same for me…” Nanami added.

Yukizome scanned both girls carefully, then approached them and extended her hand to touch Mioda’s uniform.

“It looks pretty professional,” she admitted with a smile. “Where did you get it?”

“Ibuki made it herself!” She stated proudly. “The ready-made ones were too expensive and didn’t even look good…”

“You’ve got talent for this,” Yukizome praised her. “But I think having only one could be a problem. You're going to walk around in this outfit almost everyday from now on. There’s also a possibility you could get it dirty by an accident, or something like this, so let’s get you some more sets. The same goes for Nanami-san.”

“Hajime-chan! Did you hear?! Chisa-chan praised my work!” Mioda shouted, throwing herself at Hinata and hugging him. She will probably never get rid of the habit of hugging everyone at random…

“Yeah, I heard…”

After releasing him she happily ran up to Yukizome, who turned in the direction she earlier came from. "Come with me. And don't get lost, okay? Not everyone here is as nice as me."

"I can confirm that." Hinata heard Komaeda's quiet voice right next to him. "I got lost here once and one of the actresses from the previous cast scolded me for fooling around..."

"You really don't have any luck, don't you?" Hinata sighed theatrically, though he felt a little relieved when Komaeda spoke to him casually. It didn't seem like there was anything wrong...

"Maybe," he replied. "By the way, hello, Hinata-kun."

"That's not the order in which you should begin a conversation with someone."

"Do I have to remind you how we met yesterday?" Komaeda laughed slightly.

"Right. I forgot that everything happening around you seems like an accident.

Before they even realized they ended up in the back of the group. It’s not like they had to hurry - according to the alphabetical order Hinata was second in line, and Komaeda was fourth… They also didn’t stand out so much while staying a little behind. If Hinata was right, then they were a bit similar on that part – they weren’t good with being in the center of attention.

Yukizome lead them into something that looked like an especially big waiting room. There were some sofas, comfy-looking chairs and tables standing here and there… and also a lot of doors leading who knows where. Mioda’a statement about this building being huge now seemed like a misunderstanding. It wasn’t just huge. It was enormous.

“Behind this door is my office,” Yukizome said, pointing at it. “Whenever I’m not anywhere nearby you’ll probably be able to find me here, so don’t be afraid of visiting me. Though I’ll be spending most of time with you.

“This door will lead you the studio of our costume designer. She has assistants of course, but today it’s only her,” she continued. “Whoever decides to go first, just knock and enter the room… Also! When we are done with this, I would like to take you on a tour around the building to show you the place you will be working at. Are you up for this?”

“That actually sounds cool,” Souda said, not-so-discreetly glancing at the blond-haired beauty, Sonia Nevermind. “You think so too, right, Sonia-san?”

“What do you think, Tanaka-san?” The girl asked the person standing next to her, completely ignoring Souda.

“It is, indeed, a good opportunity to become familiar with this edifice,” Tanaka replied. It looked like there was something going on between the two of them, but the pink-haired boy tried to stay oblivious to that.

“Don’t worry, Souda-chan, there’s many fish in the sea,” Ibuki exclaimed knowingly, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Sonia-chan may not like you, but Ibuki’s sure you’ll find the one for you.”

“Where?” He looked at her with gloomy expression.

“Dunno, Ibuki’s not a fairy, she can’t predict the future” she laughed. Hinata almost felt bad for that guy.

“Yaaaay, a tour!” Saionji yelled. “Maybe I’ll find a place where I can lock up this shorty!”

“Will you ever stop!? You’re not even taller than me!”

“Not yet. Watch me leaving you behind.”

“You little…”

“Don’t let her provoke you, Fuyuhiko. You’re older than her, be the smarter one,” Pekoyama sighed.

“It seems that everyone is excited for the tour,” Komaeda concluded with a smile. “I’m looking forward to this too.”

“Great! Hanamura-kun, can I ask you to come with me now? You’re the first one on the list,” Yukizome said, already reaching for the door’s handle.

“If a lady asks, I have to listen to her request.”

“Don’t even try doing anything to her,” Kuzuryuu muttered. “She can be scary sometimes. She would probably crush you if you did anything wrong.”

“Or her boyfriend would…” Nanami mumbled sleepily, so quietly that probably only Hinata and Komaeda heard her, as they were standing the closest to her.

“Her boyfriend?” He asked, raising one brow.

“My cousin… Chihiro told me, that she’s quite close to someone called Kyousuke Munakata,” she replied. “Apparently they’re old friends, and he’s helping her with work now, I think.”

“Makoto said something similar once,” Komaeda added. “He looked pretty scared of him though. It doesn’t seem that he’s as friendly as Yukizome-san.”

“Hey, are you telling me that you’re also related to someone from the first cast?!” Hinata let out a loud whisper. “This is crazy!”

“We’re actually distantly related… But I call him my cousin anyway,” Nanami said.

“Guys, these sofas are amazing!” Mioda’s voice reached them from somewhere in the room. “Ibuki thinks that there’s not enough place for everyone, so you better hurry!”

“Eh?”

“But aren’t there chairs too?”

“The sofas are better!”

“Chairs are for losers!”

Hinata couldn’t even figure out which voice belongs to whom, as everyone started yelling and throwing themselves in the directions of the sofas. Suddenly he felt like he was back in middle school, and he wasn’t sure if that was something to laugh or cry about… Before he had the time to react, someone pulled him by his wrist and dragged along, so he ended up sitting on one of the sofas, squeezed between Nanami and Komaeda.

“It seems like we’re not the losers this time,” the girl said, making their other companion laugh.

“Why do I have to be the one that gets a chair?!” Souda whined from his place, earning a snort from Kuzuryuu.

“You’re talking as if you are the only one. Look, me and Peko got chairs too. Stop complaining.”

“All of you are losers,” Saionji stated.

“Why do you have to argue over a goddamn sofa?” Owari decided to speak up too. “I would agree if we were talking about food, but…”

“Weren’t we supposed to decide who goes to the other room?” This time it was Koizumi.

“This group is a complete mess,” Hinata sighed, leaning against the back of the sofa. He might’ve sounded annoyed, but actually… Seeing everyone like this made him relax a bit. They all were just a bunch of teenagers. Nothing to be nervous about. It seemed that his new friends came to a similar conclusion, as Komaeda only watched them with slight amusement, and Nanami pulled out her phone again.

“Well, at least we have the sofa.”

***

“We’re going to earn THAT much!?” Hinata almost yelled when he saw the sum on the contract. “Is it really alright? Is your budget really that huge!?”

“It’s perfectly alright, Hinata-kun,” Yukizome stated. “Your job is to play, not to worry about our finances.”

With that amount of money he could buy himself whatever figurine he wanted. He could say ‘goodbye’ to any bet Mioda would come up with. She had nothing to tempt him with now. Life suddenly seemed more beautiful.

“If you say that it’s alright…” He muttered, putting his signature on the paper.

“I hope you’re not a member of any school clubs. Filming will be consuming a lot of your time, so you would have to skip any extracurricular activities,” the women said.

“I don’t have anything like that,” Hinata assured her.

“That makes things easier.” Yukizome smiled, reaching for a big envelope lying on the side. “Inside is your copy of the script. Of course you don’t have to learn everything immediately, but at least read it and try to perform some of the first scenes, okay?”

“I’ll do my best…”

“Ah! And don’t show it to anyone,” she said. “Not even your parents. Everyone already knows the plot, but let’s at least keep our version in secret.”

“You keep telling us to have fun, but it looks like you’re the enjoying yourself the most, Yukizome-san.” Hinata couldn’t stop himself from pointing out.

“I would be lying if I denied it.” She smiled fondly. “When I was working with Naegi-kun’s squad I learned how much fun it is to help kids like you. I actually wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, and even though my goals have changed overtime, I’m happy that I still get to work with teenagers.”

Hinata actually thought that Yukizome would be a great teacher, but didn’t say anything. In the end, if she had became a teacher, she wouldn’t be here with them.

“One more thing, Hinata-kun,” she called out to him when he was about to exit her office. “What do you think about the others? Is there a chance of us all getting along?”

He stopped for a moment, thinking of a proper answer. How could he know something like this?

Then he recalled Mioda’s happy face as she kept talking to everyone in her excited voice. He remembered his small conversation with Nanami from yesterday, when they were riding the train, and Komaeda’s laugh, which kept making him forget all his worries…

“I think we’re already getting along. Don’t underestimate the power of nerds, Yukizome-san.”

“Right,” she laughed. “You’re dismissed for now.”

***

“This is boring,” the costume designer said, as she wrapped the tape-measure around him.

“Eh?”

“Yokohama’s clothes are boring. No bright colors. No complicated designs. I like Inoue’s costume much better,” she sighed.

“Uhm… okay…” Hinata muttered. While talking to Yukizome was quite easy, in this case he had no idea how to behave. Especially when she was using the signature quote of one of the major antagonists from the series.

“Even Suzuki’s are cooler… I totally want his coat,” she continued muttering, as if she didn’t even expect an answer. “At least we get to make you that black uniform for the role of Kamukura.”

Of course. He got double casted, not only as Yokohama, but also as Kamukura. He was well aware of that, as they were one and the same... But wasn’t it even harder than playing Yokohama? “Does that mean I’ll have to wear a wig?”

“Yhm. But don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Komaeda also gets one, since Suzuki’s got white hair,” she replied. “Too bad he wears his usual outfit in that scene with Kamukura…”

“So you like when the characters have more than one set of clothing…?”

“Or course I do.” She finally released him from the tape, putting it aside. “It’s my job, you know? Making you look all pretty.”

“Right…”

“You’re free now. And call one of the girls we have to make a school uniform for. You know, for the twilight thing.” The women waved her hand at him, gesturing to leave the room.

When he got out of the studio, he noticed that Komaeda left Yukizome’s office at pretty much the same time. He looked much too serious for someone who only had to talk with her and sign the documents…

“Did something happen?” He asked, coming a little closer.

“Not really,” Komaeda sighed. “I keep telling her that she worries too much…”

“Well, if she’s worried about you, she must have a reason?” Hinata suggested, trying not to sound nosy, but in reality curious what’s the deal with them.

The cheerful smile reappeared on Komaeda’s face. “There’s none, really. Maybe Makoto did something and now she’s worried because we’re related?”

“Don’t ask me,” Hinata mumbled, a little disappointed. “Hey, Mioda, Tsumiki, Saionji, Koizumi. That weird costume designer wants one of you next.”  
“Eh?! What a creep!” Saionji frowned, interpreting his words in her own way. “Tsumiki, you go!”

“W-why me?”

“Because I said so!” The blond girl pushed Tsumiki off the sofa, making her fall on the ground with a squeak. To his surprise, after that she furrowed her brows, stood up and extended her hand to her victim. “What are you doing, stupid women!?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Tsumiki muttered, taking her hand and standing up too.

“Don’t apologize, just get your fat ass moving!” She yelled, and Hinata couldn’t tell, if Saionji helping Tsumiki get back to her feet was an act of mercy, or just something she did on a whim.

“She’s trying,” Koizumi said, noticing that they were staring. “They never got along, but Hiyoko decided that if they both get casted she’s going to change the way she treats Tsumiki-san. Though you can see that she’s still far from leaving her alone.”

“Changing is never easy,” Komaeda stated sadly, but quickly went back to smiling. “But I believe she can do it! People like you can do anything they have on their minds…”

_Like you._ Not _like us._

“I hope you’re right,” Koizumi sighed, ignoring that small detail.

“Hey, hey, Hajime-chan! Nagito-chan! Wanna play the telephone game with us?” Mioda shouted to them, distracting Hinata from his thoughts.

“How old do you think we are?”

“Don’t be like that, Hinata!” Owari said. “It’s fun!”

“Right! The two of you should join us!” Nidai supported her claim.

Meanwhile Nanami was sitting on the same sofa as earlier, but now with Sonia and Tanaka, who both were watching something on her phone with fascination.

“What is this strange creature?” The boy asked her, pointing at something on the screen.

“It’s a pokemon, Tanaka-kun,” she replied. “Look, I have a whole lot more of them…”

“Incredible! Something like this really exists!?” He exclaimed with disbelief.

“No, I don’t think they actually do… It’s just a game. You can download it too,” she suggested him with a smile. “And Sonia-san too. We can all play together, if you want.”

Those that weren’t interested in the telephone game or pokemons were also chatting with each other and it didn’t look like anyone got left behind. It seemed that everyone just naturally went to being friends, skipping any unnecessary introductions and uneasiness, usually present between people that had only just met.

“What are we going to do?” Komaeda asked him with a smile.

Hinata sighed, but returned that smile. “Mioda won’t leave us alone anyway, so it’s as good as decided that we’re playing with them.”

“I don’t think it’s that bad. If everyone is having fun… I can only be glad,” Komaeda said. There was something in his voice that Hinata couldn’t define, so he decided to let it slide this time.

***

“…and this is the corridor where you can find your dressing rooms.” Yukizome lead them down another  hallway with many door. “The members of the first series’ cast were using them before and by the end of the shooting they were already treating them like their own rooms. I can perfectly remember Togami-kun hanging a card saying ‘do not enter’ on the door, even though he shared it with Ishimaru-kun.”

"So we'll have to share them?" Souda asked. "If so, I want someone normal with me."

"What do you define as 'normal'?” Tanaka asked him.

"Not you."

"I want to be with big sis Mahiru!" Saionji exclaimed immediately, probably not even feeling guilty about leaving Tsumiki behind.

"Uuuuh..." Said girl looked around, as if looking for someone who would help her. Hinata wished he could, but he obviously couldn't.

"If you're okay with this, I can be your pair," Pekoyama offered her with a kind smile, almost making this poor girl cry.

"T-thank you so much, Pekoyama-san!" Tsumiki said. "I'm completely okay with this! I m-mean... Only if you are too!"

"If Peko-chan and Mikan-chan are together, then Ibuki takes Chiaki-chan!" Mioda shouted.

"So l am with Owari-san," Sonia concluded with a smile. "I am looking forward to sharing the dressing room with you."

"Same here!" Owari replied.

"That was fast!" Kuzuryuu stated with awe, and Souda nodded.

"Girls really are awesome... Then what are we going to do? Kuzuryuu? Hinata?"

"Eh? Me?" Hinata uttered, pointing at himself.

"Yeah. You look pretty okay to me, so I may as well try asking."

"I was actually thinking about asking Komaeda..."

"Eh?! Me?!" Said boy uttered in even bigger shock than Hinata earlier.

"Figures. You guys get along so well..." Souda sighed, turning back to Kuzuryuu. "I guess you will do."

"Don't treat me like your last resort! I'll ask Tanaka!"

"Dude, don't do this to me!"

"You can stop arguing, Tanaka's going to be with me," Mitarai said. "We decided it when you were bickering."

"So that makes me Nidai-kun's pair?" Hanamura asked.

"Haha, it sure looks so!" Nidai laughed, patting him on the back with definitely too much force.

"So I'm stuck with Souda?!" Kuzuryuu shouted dramatically.

"Losers should stay together," Saionji snickered.

"If you kids already came to an agreement, let me show you the last room," Yukizome interrupted them before anyone could reply to Saionji's comment.

Their director already showed them rooms transformed into a cottage, the hotel lobby, the classroom from the very beginning of the game, the courtroom and some others, so everyone wondered what this last room looks like. It was probably a pretty important location, since she left it for later...

Yukizome pushed the double door, finally letting them inside and dispelling all their doubts.

"It's the hotel restaurant! Ibuki knew it!" Mioda shouted happily, passing Yukizome and entering the room as the first person. She immediately ran up to the tables, took one chair and sat on it, leaning onto the counter. "Ibuki still can't believe that she's in a place like this..."

"But this is your reality starting today." Yukizome smiled at her warmly. "And I have one more surprise for you. Though Komaeda-kun and Nanami-san may not be that surprised..."

The women walked up to some of the devices on the side and started it, turning one so it was facing the group. It appeared to be a projector, as it lit up brightly a second later.

"It may look quite poor, but the previous cast actually enjoyed it, so I wanted to show you," Yukizome said. "Of course we'll replace it with a CGI in the actual show, this is only for us."

"Hey, you guys think you can just fool around?!" A familiar, annoying voice could be heard from the speakers. "This isn't the purpose of this trip! This is the school trip of mutual killing!"

"No way! Monokuma-chan?!" Mioda yelled at the projection standing in the middle of the room.

"Man, so awesome!" Souda's eyes widened, as he joined the girl in kneeling beside the half-transparent bear.

"Dark magic!" Tanaka exclaimed.

Hinata stayed silent, but he also still couldn't believe all of this. It was almost too much information for one day, and even though it made him happier than anything ever, he needed time to come to terms with it.

"Hinata-kun..." Komaeda said quietly when everyone gathered around the Monokuma while trying not to stand in front of the projector.

"What is it, Komaeda?"

"Are you really fine with sharing the dressing room with someone like me?"

Hinata sighed, suddenly feeling annoyed.

"Listen to me, you blockhead," he replied. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked you, so stop with that."

"With what?"

"With making sure that you're enough for me." Hinata took a deep breath and continued. "Because you are. You're the first person here, besides Mioda, that I treat like a friend."

He wanted to hear Komaeda's answer. He really wanted, but...

"Yukizome-san, may I ask you a question?” Sonia raised her hand.

“Go ahead.”

“I have not seen any scenography that would resemble a beach, but some of the first scenes take place there,” she said. “What are we going to do about it?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yukizome pointed her finger at the group. “We’re going to shoot those scenes on an actual beach! We have like thirty kilometers to the sea, what were you expecting?”

“Wait, seriously!?”

“Awesome!”

“Guys, that means we’ll get to see Tanaka building the sand castle!”

“What a time to be alive.”

“I think that’s all for today. I have your phone numbers, so I’ll contact you soon to introduce some details to you,” Yukizome said. “Also, don’t be surprised if someone will make a fuss over you – your names were announced publicly. It may cause you a bit of trouble in the future, but you’ll have to deal with it. It’s a part of being an actor.”

“We’re going to be fine,” Kuzuryuu stated. “If Naegi and the others were, then we’re going to be fine too.”

“I sure hope so, little mister yakuza,” she replied, showing them a smug smile. “Okay, you’re free to go!”

Hinata reached for his phone to check the time. Some hours have passed, but it was still pretty early today…

“Komaeda, are you free now?” He asked the boy next to him.

“I am, but…” Komaeda said hesitantly. “Why do you ask?”

Hinata tried smiling at him, but he wasn’t sure how it came out. He liked Komaeda, he was sure of that, but… Yeah, there was still a ‘but’.

So he decided to learn more about him so there would be no ‘buts’ left.

“Want to hang out?”

***

Of course he agreed. He looked hesitant for a moment, but he still agreed.

From the lack of better ideas they just decided to grab some milkshakes, as it was Hinata’s turn to pay for them now. He never liked being in debt – he may not be the richest person, but borrowing money always made him feel uneasy.

“I guess no one would want to be in debt to someone like me,” Komaeda said when they sat down on a bench in a park near their future workplace.

“It’s not about you. Being in debt to anyone just sucks in general,” Hinata replied, then gathered all his courage and continued on talking. “But you seriously need some self esteem, you know? Is there any reason you are like that?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Komaeda tried to play oblivious.

“You know what I mean,” he sighed. “You always act as if you expected us to hate you or something like that. Why?”

“Hmm… I don’t even know,” he admitted. “Makoto always says that believing in yourself is the first step to becoming a happier person, but Komaru says that if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will, and I just don’t know anymore…”

Hinata thought that Naegi’s little sister probably had good intentions, but terrible way with words. He still wasn’t sure whether he had faith in himself or not, but it was the words of other people that were helping him gain it. Mioda, Nanami, Yukizome… And even Komaeda himself.

But man, he was bad at comforting others. Even if he wanted to say something nice to Komaeda, he had no idea what words he should use not to sound empty. Maybe Nanami would know…

“Play something for me,” he asked after a moment of silence. “Yukizome-san said that your skills are amazing. I want to see you acting.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. And don’t tell me you can’t do it. You accepted this role.”

“It’s fine by me,” Komaeda stated casually. “Any requests?”

“Not really. Pick whichever scene you like,” Hinata replied.

Komaeda pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them, thinking about which fragment would be the right choice. Judging from the look on his face, there was no problem with relying only on his memory… Finally, he looked back at Hinata. “Hey… Can you hear me…?”

Hinata immediately recognized this scene. Komaeda’s expression, the tone of his voice…

“Are you okay?” He continued. “You seem pretty out of it… To be honest, I’m also… No, everyone else feels the same, too. Since we suddenly… got put in this weird situation.”

It was all perfect. And by perfect Hinata didn’t mean ‘pulled out of the game’. Of course he would act a little differently… But it was still perfectly in character and believable.

“…hey, are you listening? Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“…leave me alone,” Hinata replied involuntarily.

“T-there’s no way I can leave someone alone when they look this pale…” Komaeda immediately caught that with a worried face, but then laughed. “That was good, Hinata-kun.”

“I literally said three words. You’re the one that is good.”

“Not really, I…”

“Don’t even try telling me that you’re not good,” Hinata interrupted him. “She was right. Your skills really are impressing. You just went from your normal personality to acting like it was nothing…”

“I don’t even know how I should answer to that…” Komaeda muttered. “I used to help Makoto with practicing, so maybe that helped me improve…?”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re good at this.” Hinata smiled, noticing that he managed to make the other feel embarrassed. “But why this scene?”

“I… actually liked the beginning of chapter one,” he stated, sounding a bit sad. “I hoped Suzuki and Yokohama would become friends, but… we all know how this had ended. Yokohama came to fear him, and Suzuki died a lonely death.”

“I thought you dislike Suzuki…”

“I do. But it doesn’t mean I can’t empathize with him,” Komaeda said, not even looking at Hinata and still hugging his knees. “Disliking him doesn’t have to mean not understanding him. I understand, and that’s why I’m not fond of this character.”

“Eh?”

“No matter how hard he tries, he never succeeds. He may claim that he’s lucky, but in reality none of his plans worked in the exact way he wanted them to,” he explained. “He says that he’s doing everything for the sake of hope, but he’s the most miserable one. I understand that it’s his way of coping… But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s full of bullshit.”

Hinata didn’t expect an answer like this. Up till now the only people he thought could still dislike Suzuki were the ones that didn’t even try to understand him, but it seemed that Komaeda wasn’t one of them. His reasoning was coming from somewhere else, but he found himself unable to grasp that.

“Maybe if someone had paid more attention to him, things would’ve been different…” he said in the end.

“Maybe. We can’t know this. And…” Before he finished his sentence his phone rang, cutting him off. “Sorry,” Komaeda mumbled a short apology and pulled the device out, answering it. “What is it, Komaru?”

So that was Naegi’s sister calling…

“Huh? Where I am?” Komaeda said to the phone, sending a glance at Hinata. “I’m… with a friend. Yhm, he’s a part of the cast too. We’ve finished the meeting a while ago…”

It sounded more like being questioned by a parent than by a younger cousin… Hinata was seriously beginning to wonder what kind of people the Naegis were.

“…fine, you can tell them I’ll come,” he sighed. “Yeah, Yukizome-san told me to say ‘hello’ to Makoto from her anyway. Yhm, bye.

“I guess I have to go now.” Komaeda turned to Hinata after hanging up. “They asked me to come over for dinner. Sorry, you even decided to invite me, and now I’m leaving like that…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. We’ll have another occasion.”

And another one. And even more another ones… They could invite some other people. They could spend time with only the two of them. They could do a lot of things in the future.

“Thank you…” Komaeda said, smiling at him warmly. “For hanging out with… me.”

“Same goes to you.”

For a moment he looked like he didn’t really want to go. As if he just wanted to stay with Hinata a little longer… But in the end he stood up and walked away, waving at him.

It almost felt like doing a free time event and being left to wait for another one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, thank you for any kind of feedback, it really motivates me! Though now, that the summer break is over, I probably won't be able to keep on posting once a week... But I will try!


	6. Pretty much chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of want to forget that DR3 even exists
> 
> Chapter 6 starring: Nanami SHSL Angel, some extension cords, Ibuki SHSL Shipper and KomaHina the actual married couple

This week was supposed to be their last before the summer break. Hinata thought it’s going to be peaceful and uneventful, just like every year up until now...

But we was wrong. Goodbye, peaceful life.

When he arrived at school on Monday all of his classmates already knew that he and Mioda got casted as characters in a TV show. At first he thought it’s her fault and she babbled everything out, but it turned out that she didn’t have to – their names were already all over the internet, so it wasn’t surprising that they knew. Most of them started congratulating and promising them that they will watch the show even though they don’t have any idea what is it about. Some of them seemed to be envious, and others openly found the idea of them being actors funny. In short, they were suddenly in the center of attention. Even the teachers began to worry about the filming interfering with their studying.

And it hasn’t even started yet. Yukizome called them on Wednesday to tell them their work hours and some other details, but there were still some days until next Monday… By the end of this week he was already a nervous wreck, as everyone were constantly reminding him what he had gotten into and that soon not only his school will be paying close attention to him, but also complete strangers. Great.

When Friday finally arrived, and the summer break started, he breathed out in relief. No school for a few weeks. Seriously, he was actually looking forward to the beginning of the filming. He felt like a kid waiting for Christmas, all excited, but the fuss his classmates were making over them was stressing the living shit out of him.

After the classes were over he went home with Mioda, just like always. They parted ways in front of her house, and Hinata continued on his way, trying not to get swallowed by negative thought. Sometimes he wished he had the same amount of confidence as his friend…

He didn’t even notice someone walking in the opposite direction as him until he bumped into that person. Again. What’s with him walking into random people.

Though this time it went a little different. This person didn’t seem to notice him either, as she looked up after like five seconds from the moment they walked into each other. For another five seconds they were just staring at one another thoughtlessly.

“Oh. Hello, Hinata-kun,” she finally said.

“Uhm… Hello, Nanami,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Going home, I think,” the girl muttered. “And you?”  
“Probably the same.”

Hinata finally took a closer look at her. She, of course, had a game console in her hands. No wonder she didn’t notice him. She had a schoolbag hanging from one of her shoulders and was wearing a brown uniform with a white shirt. That made the question he had asked her sound even more stupid.

“How come that we have never met before, despite living in the neighborhood, but now we suddenly walk into each other?” Hinata muttered.

“Who knows?” She tilted her head to the side. “Maybe we did, but just never paid attention.”

“…maybe,” he sighed. He didn’t want to run into her while moping like this. Not after she comforted him a week ago… He should better find a topic to talk about before she notices his mood. “Hey, I have a console like this too. Isn’t it pretty old?”

“You seriously have one?” Nanami’s eyes lit up, just as he expected. “It’s really rare to meet someone who still remembers it!”

“Well, I liked it, so it stayed with me. Though mine’s blue, not pink.”

“Hinata-kun,” she said in a grave voice. “How far from here is your house?”

“About five minutes of walking…?”

“Then go and get your console. I’ll wait for you.” Nanami clearly sounded like someone who wouldn’t accept refusal. “You promised you’ll play with me. Now we have a chance.”

“Eh? Just like that?”

Nanami only nodded with a stern expression on her face. He had no way of saying ‘no’ to her…

“Okay,” Hinata sighed. “Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll be back.”

Nanami instantly flashed him a happy smile. “I’ll wait, so you don’t have to hurry that much.”

For a moment Hinata just stared at her, then retuned her smile and looked away. She seemed so genuinely happy about something as silly as playing games with him. Nanami, a girl he barely knows…

Without another word he began running in the direction of his house, slowing down only when the building finally appeared in his sight, as he didn’t want to keep her waiting.

“Hajime?” He could hear his mother’s voice when he entered the house.

“Sorry mom, I’m just back to get something, I’m heading out again!” He yelled, already on his way to his room. He left his schoolbag near the desk and began looking for the console. It should be somewhere in the desk’s drawer… Hinata hasn’t been using it for a while, as he completely forgot about it. Suddenly he felt excited about playing with the old device again.

“When are you coming back?” His mother asked, probably not even caring where he was going.

“I don’t know, it’s not something I planned out,” he replied, ready to already leave the house. “I ran into someone I know, and it just happened…”

“Then have fun. Just don’t stay outside too late.”

Sometimes Hinata wondered whether she didn’t care or just really trust him that much.

He didn’t even change out of his uniform. Well, Nanami was still going to wear her own, so maybe it was better this way… But clothes like this definitely weren’t comfortable to be running in…

“I told you, you didn’t have to hurry so much…” The pink-haired girl muttered when she saw him, out of breath, trying to loosen his tie with one hand.

“It’s pretty hot today. I would feel bad about having you wait for me,” he replied. “So, where are we going?”

“There’s a park nearby, right? We can sit there for a while.” Nanami smiled enthusiastically at him. “I’m so glad I ran into you, Hinata-kun.”

It was funny how different hanging out with Nanami was from spending time with Komaeda, even though he liked both of them. When it comes to the brown-haired boy, he was constantly trying to understand what was on his mind, but with no results. Komaeda was interesting, but way more complicated than he seemed at first. Nanami in turn… seemed to be rather simple, but not in a bad way. Her presence was comforting and made him feel more relaxed after this stressful week.

“I lost to you again,” he stated after a ‘game over’ appeared on the screen of his console once more. “Not that I’m surprised.”

“Let’s just try again,” Nanami muttered. “Maybe this time you’ll win.”

“I don’t really feel the need to win,” he said. “Sure, winning is nice… But it’s fine this way.”

“Don’t give up so easily. As long as you keep trying, you have the chance of succeeding, I think.”

“You really like to think positively, don’t you?” Hinata laughed slightly, watching her as she continued to play.

“It’s one of the few things I’m good  at,” Nanami replied. “Thinking positively may not be simple… But if you keep doing it, everything will seem easier.”

“You’re talking about yourself?”

“Who knows?” She looked away from the game and looked at him with a smile. “Maybe I’m just saying whatever comes to my mind.”

“Impossible. It sounded too deep to be some random nonsense.” Hinata remembered that they were sitting there for quite a while, so he checked the time. “Is it fine if you don’t tell anyone where you are? Your parents may get worried…”

“It’s okay,” she mumbled. “I live with my older sister, and she’s probably not even home yet, since she’s working…”

Hinata immediately cursed himself inwardly. He had no way of knowing that Nanami wasn’t living with her parents, but it didn’t change the fact that he blurted out something stupid.

“I’m sorry, I… “ He stumbled, not knowing what to say.

“You don’t have to feel bad, Hinata-kun,” she interrupted him casually. “I’m grateful to you that you agreed to play with me though. I don’t like… going back to an empty house, and now, after I get back, my sister probably will be home already.”

“What is your sister going?” He asked. “I mean, what’s her job.”

“She’s an elementary school teacher, and during summer she volunteers to take care of the children that can’t stay at home,” Nanami said. “She loves her job, and I’m happy about it… But sometimes she’s home really late… And I don’t like it.” It seemed as if she tried to sound unconcerned, but Hinata could hear the sadness lingering in her voice.

He actually could understand that. His parents were often working till it was really late, and he was the only kid, so being alone at home wasn’t anything new to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nanami told him that it was her reason for coming to the audition – to have someone she could spend time with.

“But it won’t be like that anymore, right?” He reminded her. “Starting with Monday, you’re going to be the one coming back home late. You won’t be lonely anymore.”

“Right.” Nanami smiled gently at the console in her hands. “I can’t wait to see everyone again…”

Hinata suddenly thought about Komaeda. During this week he actually wanted to contact him somehow, but then he realized that he didn’t even ask him about his number or e-mail, so no luck with this. He also didn’t know where exactly he lives, so no visiting either... Well, he will ask him on Monday.

“But say, Hinata-kun,” Nanami spoke up after a moment of silence. “Doesn’t it feel like a free time event?”

He couldn’t hold back laughter at her statement. Mostly because that’s exactly what he thought when he hung out with Komaeda… People with similar interests think in a similar way, huh?

“Yeah, it sure does.”

***

And just like that, Monday finally came.

“What’s with the two of you today?” Hinata asked Mioda and Nanami, who kind of looked different than always. Well, he couldn’t tell why, but something was definitely off.

“What do you mean, Hinata-kun?” The pink-haired girl asked as they entered the building.

“I don’t know… Your hair? Maybe not…” He wondered, scanning them carefully.

“Chisa-chan told us to not do any make-up and leave our hair the way they’re just after washing them!” Mioda exclaimed. “Ibuki couldn’t tie her hair and things like that, that’s why she looks different! Right, Chiaki-chan?”

Nanami nodded at her statement calmly, but then her eyes widened. Hinata turned in the direction she was looking in, only to find himself surprised too.

When they were there before, the facility always seemed almost empty, but now it was full of people bustling here and there. Someone were running through the hall with a bunch of papers in their hands, another person was picking up a phone by the desk… Their surroundings suddenly seemed completely chaotic. Where they were even supposed to go now…?

“Hajime-chan, you better go and ask,” Mioda said, noticing his expression. “Chisa-chan told us not to get lost, right?”

“Eh?! Why me?!”

“Because you’re a smart guy and Ibuki is silly,” the girl replied, pushing him to the desk. “Just ask where we should go and everything will be okey dokey!”

“Sometimes I wonder why I'm even friends with you."

"You shouldn't be so mean to Mioda-san, I think..." Nanami noted, apparently a little concerned.

"Don't worry, Chiaki-chan, that's how he always is," the other girl laughed. "He's nice only at first, then he goes to being constantly annoyed and given up on life."

"Is that true?" Nanami sent him a glance.

"Well, maybe to some extent...?" Hinata admitted. "But hey, isn't everyone like this? It's called testing the waters. I'm not mean, it's just my sense of humor... I can't allow some strangers to experience it, you know."

"Yeah, Ibuki knows, and that's why she likes Hajime-chan!" Mioda grinned at him. "Now go and ask."

"Damn," Hinata sighed and walked up to the desk. "Excuse me...?"

The man sitting there looked up. "The three of you are from director Yukizome's team, right? Go to the room near your dressing rooms, she should've shown you there," he said and went back to whatever he was doing.

"It looks like I didn't even have to ask..." Hinata muttered, turning back to the girls. "The hotel restaurant."

"Okay, so let's go!" Mioda exclaimed, directing her steps in that direction and grabbing Nanami by her wrist.

Hinata could feel his stomach twisting in excitement. His life as an actor was finally starting... He wondered if everyone else was already there. It was still pretty early, but this train was their only option to be there on time. Maybe it was like that for others too... He was actually curious how many of them were already there and what were they doing.

…

He expected anything but what he saw when they finally arrived at the right room.

The first thing that caught their attention was the sound of loud crying and yelling, coming from different people.

The second one was Tsumiki sitting on the ground with her feet tangled between some extension cords and Koizumi trying to get her out of this situation, while Saionji was sitting next to them and laughing.

The third was Kuzuryuu, sitting by the restaurant table with a scared expression, as Yukizome was staring at him with a worrisome smile and a paper knife in her hand.

"...what the hell is happening here?" Hinata muttered, actually considering turning back and going home.

"Ah, Hinata-kun, Nanami-san, Mioda-san!" Yukizome shouted happily, instantly noticing them and making his plans impossible. The women immediately hid the knife in her dress' pocket and waved at them. "Come in! There's still not a lot of us, but we're slowly gathering..."

"Was that a knife, Chisa-chan?!" Mioda shouted in utter terror, not being able to bite her tongue. "Why would you pull a knife on Fuyuhiko-chan?!"

"Erm... It's our secret, right, Kuzuryuu-kun?" She smiled at the blonde boy innocently. "Anyway, we should probably take care of this chaos..."

"Hey, Hinata, Kuzuryuu, don't just stand like this, we need help!" Koizumi shouted. "How did you even manage to tangle it so bad...?"

"I-I don't know!" Tsumiki sobbed. "I'm sorry, you d-don't have to bother yourself..."

Hinata sighed, put the backpack he had with him on the ground and tried walking up to them to help, but the moment he was close enough Saionji pulled one of the cords, making him trip and land on the ground too.

"What the hell, Saionji?!"

"Sorry, when I saw your face I couldn't stop myself!"

"You didn't even try to stop! You just thought of doing this and then you went straight to realization of your plan!"

"It's a shame Hajime-chan isn't a girl. No fanservice for us," Mioda sighed.

"What the hell, Mioda!?"

That was the moment someone pushed the door and entered the room full of chaos.

"Good morning everyone!" Sonia exclaimed, but then stopped abruptly and looked at them, probably a little lost. Well, half of them were sitting on the ground and Saionji was still holding the extension cord. "Did I miss anything?"

"Certainly not Souda," the blonde girl snickered. _Poor guy_ , Hinata thought. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Tanaka-san?" Sonia smiled at the mention of him. "He should be here soon. He told me to go ahead, since he has to walk his dogs."

"Dogs? How many of them he has?" Kuzuryuu asked with a frown.

"Four."

"Four puppies?!" Mioda shouted. "Tell Gundam-chan to bring them sometime!"

"Mioda-san, I'm afraid you can't bring pets in here." Yukizome scattered her hopes, although she looked as if she felt a little bad for doing this. "But if it makes you feel better, we'll have real hamsters in the show. Tanaka-san already met those little guys and seemed really happy."

"Real hamsters...?" Nanami tightened her grip on the strips of her kitty-like backpack. "Are they tame...?"

"Could it be that Chiaki-chan is afraid of hamsters...?" Mioda said, and then burst out laughing. "These guys are so small they wouldn't even be able to make a hole in your clothes!"

"Don't laugh at me..." Nanami puffed her cheeks.

"Somehow I feel that the chaos is getting worse and worse..." Hinata muttered to Yukizome while getting to his feet.

"As much as I don't want to agree..." She sighed. "Okay kids, enough messing around!"

"Chill, Chisa-chan, there's like half of us..."

"Yeah, let's tease big bro Kuzuryuu more!"

"I'll kill you and bury the body in your own backyard."

Yukizome only sighed again, and then...

"When I'm saying enough, that means enough!" She shouted with a stern face, hitting the blat of the restaurant table with her hand. Kuzuryuu, who was still sitting there, looked pretty terrified. "Listen to me, you rotten kids!"

"Rotten...?" Hinata muttered. Where did that nice women go...?

"Yeah! I get this, you're young and full of energy, but no matter how you look at this, I'm still your boss now!"

"Not very convincing..." Saionji mumbled, but Koizumi sent her a rebuking glance.

"But Chisa-chan! Weren't you the one talking about having fun?!" Mioda asked, looking a bit disappointed. That made Yukizome's expression turn a little gentler.

"We'll have fun, that goes without saying," she reassured her. "But you have to listen to me when I say so, you rotten oranges!"

"Why oranges?!" Kuzuryuu yelled.

"Because I say so! Rotten oranges are simply rotten oranges, but using enough of them we still can make youth jam!" Yukizome's words weren't making much sense, but she seemed proud of herself, so everyone just nodded instead of correcting her that making jam out of rotten oranges didn’t seem like a good plan. "Okay, so while we're waiting for the rest of your rotten, and also late, friends, let me hand you your costumes!"

She moved towards a pile of cartoon boxes standing near the equipment. Hinata didn't notice them before, mainly because of the fuss with cords...

"All of you are going to have your hair and make-up done by our people later, but I guess you can already put your costumes on. You all can't wait, right?" She laughed at Mioda and Saionji, who instantly looked at each other and did a high five. It became obvious who was the biggest kid here. "In these boxes are all clothes the characters wear through the game, so for example Sonia-san gets the green dress and two pairs of swimsuits, and Mioda-san - her main outfit and a school uniform." Yukizome reached for one of the boxes and looked at the cover. "This belongs to Nidai-kun... Well, I guess this one will wait. Nanami-san, this one is for you."

Nanami took the box from her and opened it. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Yukizome-san!"

"Yes?"

"Can I keep that hairpin after we're done with recording?"

"Weren't you cosplaying Nana?" Hinata asked.

"I was... But I only had a cheap imitation! This one is better!" She replied.

"Of course you can keep it, but only after we're really done," Yukizome stated. "It would be bad if you lost it somewhere while we still need it."

"Thank you, Yukizome-san!"

"Hinata-kun, here you go." This time the woman handed a box to him, and of course he opened it too. It seemed that they put Kamukura's uniform on the bottom, and some sets of Yokohama's main outfit on the surface. It didn't even look like a cosplay – in most cases there were something off about clothes like that. The ones he was holding was surely top quality. 

While he was admiring his costume, and Yukizome was handing their outfits to the others, the rest of the people started gathering. First it was Nidai and Owari, talking about some sports event that happened during the previous week. Then it was Pekoyama, apologizing to Yukizome and, to Mioda's delight, Kuzuryuu, for being late. Hinata could tell that she was already shipping them, and the fact that they were playing Shiina and Hamagashira wasn't really helping... Next arrived Tanaka, dragging Souda along, followed by Mitarai and Hanamura. Finally, the only one missing was Komaeda.

"Nothing will come from just waiting for him," Yukizome sighed. "You can go change, and I'll call him."

"Don't tell me it's going to turn out that he's a weirdo just like his character," Souda muttered, only to get a smack on the head from Hinata. "Hey, what was that for?!"

"Nothing. I just felt like hitting you," he replied, turning to Yukizome. "Should I go look for him? He told me that he lives nearby, so maybe he's on his way..."

"I can go too," Nanami added.

Yukizome looked a bit surprised, then she smiled gently at the two of them. "I'm glad you care about him so much, but there's no need to. Leave Komaeda-kun to me, okay?"

From the lack of other ideas they nodded, though Hinata had to admit that he was a little worried.

The director handed them the keys to their dressing rooms, accordingly to the pairs arranged a week ago. That meant Hinata was left alone for now... Trying not to worry about his partner he headed to that room.

It was empty. Of course it was empty, since nobody was using it... Hinata took Komaeda's box too, so he put both of them on a table and looked around. There was a dresser and a big mirror covering almost half of the wall. A huge closet, a table, some chairs... Door, leading to a small bathroom with a shower. That carpet on the floor looked actually pretty fluffy, but Hinata resisted the urge to lay down and check it himself. Overall the room was making a nice impression, but also felt a bit lonely. He hoped Komaeda would get his ass here soon.

Putting the shirt and pants on wasn't a problem, but somehow he couldn't manage the tie. 'Somehow', cause he usually had no problems with tying it. Even his school required one with the uniform and he never had any issues, but...

Asking someone else to do it for him was out of question. He would die from embarrassment. That was a definite no. In the end he decided to leave it be and tie it later. Wearing a tie wasn't exactly comfortable, so they would understand... With that on mind he exited the dressing room.

"Come on, Hiyoko, you're already fifteen, you should be able to do such a simple knot by yourself..." Hinata could hear Koizumi sigh when he found himself in the hallway.

"Sorry, big sis Mahiru..." Saionji muttered as Koizumi turned her around and started manipulating with the obi of the younger girl's kimono. "I thought I can do it, but in the end it's still no good..."

"It's fine, but try practicing at home, okay?" Koizumi smiled at her.

"Okay!" Saionji returned her smile. "Oh, isn't that big bro Komaeda? Finally decided to honor us with your presence?"

Hinata immediately followed her gaze to see said boy enter the hallway. He stopped when he saw them, breathing unevenly, as if he ran all the way here.

"I-I'm sorry... f-for being late..." he stumbled, trying to calm his breath. "I lost the track of time..."

"What a loser," Saionji laughed.

"Better to be late, than to be early and use your free time to trip your colleagues over with the help of extension cords," Hinata sighed.

"E-Eh?" Komaeda made a confused face.

"You missed a lot. Next time set an alarm or something," he said, most likely sounding more annoyed than he actually was. To be honest, he wasn't annoyed because Komaeda was late, but because he was worried and the only explanation he got was 'I lost the track of time'. "You live in the neighborhood and yet you arrive as the last person..."

"Sorry..." Komaeda hanged his head. "You even asked me to share the dressing room with you and I'm already causing you trouble..."

"Eh? I didn't say that!" Hinata sighed in annoyance. Why do he had to be like this...? "Just hurry and get changed, I took your costume for you..."

"Thank you, Hinata-kun!" Komaeda instantly went from apologizing to smiling. "You're too nice to me..."

Hinata thought that no, he's not, since he's already starting to act like he has 'given up on life', but he didn't say it out loud.

"Here's the key. I'll wait for you, so hurry up," he said, pointing at the right room.

"Of course," Komaeda flashed him another awfully happy smile. "Thank you again."

After he finally disappeared behind the door Koizumi spoke up. "I've been wondering about it for a while, but... Aren't we all really similar to the characters we got casted as? Sorry, Hinata, but you and Komaeda resemble Yokohama and Suzuki a lot..."

"I know," he replied. "Though I hope we won't end up the way they did. I kind of like him."

"Well, Yokohama liked Suzuki too," Saionji snickered. "Let's go, big sis Mahiru."

"Right. We'll tell Yukizome-san that Komaeda is here, but..." Koizumi pointed at the tie he was still holding. "Don't tell me you..."

"No, it's not like that!" Hinata denied before she could finish her sentence. "Of course I can tie it myself, haha... I just decided to do it later..."

"Ah... Okay..." She didn't look convinced. "See you later, I guess."

"Y-yeah..."

He actually sighed in relief when Saionji and Koizumi left. It was still too early to make an idiot out of himself. Maybe later.

"Sorry for making you wait, Hinata-kun," Komaeda said after he had returned. Hinata couldn't stop himself from scanning him carefully.

His costume was an exact replica of the one from the game - black pants with a chain hanging from it, white t-shirt with some weird mark on it and a dark-green coat. If Komaeda had white hair he would look just like the real thing...

"Why are you looking at me like this?" He asked. "Right, I probably look weird in this clothes..."

"No, you look great," Hinata replied without thinking, realizing what he has said a moment too late. He could feel his cheeks heating up. "I m-meant to say that it suits you!"

Komaeda laughed at his pathetic excuse. "Thank you."

Well, at least Komaeda actually looked great and telling him that wasn't a lie. It was just freaking embarrassing, but that's all.

"But what about that tie, Hinata-kun? Aren't you going to put it on?" Komaeda's smile turned a little provocative. "Or could it be... that you simply-"

"Don't say it!" He interrupted him, feeling even more embarrassed. "I can! I definitely can! I just forgot how for a moment!"

"You basically admitted that you can't..." Komaeda sighed, then came closer, gently took the tie from his hand and put it around his neck. "Let me do it."

"I..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that our protagonist had a moment of weakness," he laughed melodiously.

Now Hinata was practically sure that his face was burning. He was too close. Much too close. And he was tying his damn tie. And the sound of him laughing was really pretty...

Goddammit, Komaeda.

"Woah, Hajime-chan and Nagito-chan are already on this level of relationship?!" He internally cringed when he heard Mioda's voice. "My gaydar is reacting!"

"Go ahead and ship fictional characters, but leave real people alone!" He snapped at her, but fell silent when he saw Nanami following her.

"Don't move, Hinata-kun," Komaeda muttered, completely ignoring her comment.

"Sorry..."

"Like a married couple," Nanami giggled quietly.

"Please, don't."

"Okay, all done!" Komaeda exclaimed cheerfully, fixing the tie one last time.

"Nagito-chan, do the thing anime waifus do!" Mioda yelled. Komaeda instantly made a seemingly innocent face and brought a hand to his mouth.

"Welcome home, dear! Would you like dinner? A bath? Or perhaps... me?" He asked, fluttering his lashes. Really long lashes.

"...I can't believe you actually did it." Hinata frowned with disgust.

"...that's why nobody wants Suzuki as their waifu," Nanami commented.

"Don't listen to them, it was brilliant, Nagito-chan!"

"Thank you, Mioda-san," he laughed awkwardly. "I think we should go now, I already made Yukizome-san wait..."

Just when he said that, three unknown to them people entered the hallway.

 "Hold on, you'll be going with us first," one of them, a guy, said. "I mean boys with me, and girls with them." He pointed at his companions, two girls.

"Eh? Why?" Nanami asked.

"Make-up and stuff," one of the girls replied, taking Nanami by the hand. "Come on, I'll turn you into the cutest girl in this show!"

"Is it really necessary?" Hinata muttered.

"Yeah, it is! Maybe Yokohama doesn't need a lot of characterization, but for Suzuki the case is different," the guy exclaimed. "Don't complain. We're professionals, you won't be disappointed."

***

Hinata could honestly tell that he wasn't. When he looked at himself in the mirror it was like looking at his favorite character. He couldn't even describe how it felt like, but... He definitely felt much more confident than before. It's amazing how some clothes, a simple make-up and a ton of hair-styling products could make him feel much better.

He left Komaeda behind, since they needed much time to work on his characterization, and returned to the room with the restaurant. Some of their colleagues were already there, all of them wearing their costumes and already having had their hair and make-up done.

"Mikan-chan, don't cry, they'll grow back..." He heard Koizumi talking to Tsumiki. When he looked at her he noticed that her long, straight, black hair were now unevenly chopped, just like Sudo's, her character's.

"I-It's f-fine, Koizumi-san..." she said, holding back tears. "I agreed t-to that..."

"It doesn't look that bad, Tsumiki," Mitarai spoke up unexpectedly. "And you look just like her, so the goal was achieved."

Hinata felt a little bad for her. Don't girls usually really care about their hair? Well, counting Mioda out, she's been experimenting with her hair ever since they met...

"Hinata-kun, could you come here for a moment?" Yukizome called out to him from her place near the equipment.

"What is it? He asked, approaching her. He noticed that she was holding the script in her hands.

"Did you go through the whole thing?" Yukizome pointed at the papers.

"...about five times," he admitted, a little embarrassed.

"And what do you think?"

"Huh? The scriptwriter did a great job, I guess?" Hinata said cautiously. "I think it's well planned, but I'm not any kind of expert..."

"But don't you think something is missing?" She suggested. "I actually want to add some scenes, but Kyousuke told me to ask the protagonist first..."

Hinata fell silent for a moment, trying to figure out what she could be talking about. There actually was something he would add, but... Did he really have the right to mess with the script someone else wrote?

"I think..." he began hesitantly. "The free time events of trial point getters should be included. They're really important, right? But knowing only the main plot many people find Yamada's personality too bland, or they're unable to understand Suzuki..."

"That's what I expected from you." Yukizome smiled fondly. "We'll include them. It was the same case for Naegi-kun when he played Kanata. I asked him if he wanted to do the free time events of Rei and Ryota."

"Shouldn't you ask Komaeda and Nanami too?"

"The free time events heavily depend on the protagonist," she explained. "It's just like in the game. If you didn't like any of those characters, we would deem their FTE unnecessary."

"I understand..." Hinata muttered.

He looked around the room while talking to Yukizome. Everyone seemed excited, and Hinata couldn’t even be surprised. Mioda was actually running around with her phone, asking some of them to let her take a photo of them, and of course her first victims were Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama, then Sonia and Tanaka.

The last persons to appear were Nanami and Komaeda, and when they finally entered the room Hinata could only stare at them. It really was as if his favorite characters were brought to life, and Yamada chatting with Suzuki didn’t even seem weird, since she was one of the most patient characters.

“Waaaaah!” Souda yelled when he saw Komaeda. “He’s real! My nightmares came true!”

Komaeda only sent him an apologetic look. Hinata was sure he knew what he was thinking – that he doesn’t like this character either, and that he’s not surprised by Souda’s reaction...

But Hinata himself was quite impressed how much this characterization suited Komaeda. The white wig seemed surprisingly natural, and his skin now was even paler than before, making him look like the sickly boy Suzuki actually was, but it still didn’t take away any of his attractiveness…

Wow. He actually called Komaeda attractive. Only in his thoughts, but it was still completely uncalled for. Get your shit together, Hajime Hinata.

“Sorry for scaring you, Souda-kun,” Komaeda said, smiling and waving his hand the same way Suzuki would. “Though I completely understand why would you find someone like me repulsive.”

“He’s real… He’s real…” Souda continued to mutter as he pulled his beanie over his ears. “Someone please wake me up from this nightmare…”

“I think you shouldn’t act as your character yet, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami said, pulling at the sleeve of his coat. “It scares people.”   
“Oh…” Komaeda’s gaze dropped onto the ground. “Sorry.”

“At least we know that you’re good at it, right?” Sonia stated to lighten the mood. “I can’t wait to see Komaeda-san in action!”

“It’s really something to wait for,” Yukizome interrupted them, moving towards the middle of the room. “Okay everyone, you have to listen to me from now on!”

All members of their group fell silent in their places, directing their eyes in Yukizome’s direction.

“For the first three days we’re going to be rehearsing, but it’s still going to be recorded so I can show it to you and give you advice,” she stated. “I won’t lie, the beginning is not going to be easy… But once you get used to playing your role, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

“I want us to start with the classroom scene, so…” She stopped for a moment to give them the most reassuring smile they ever saw. “Let’s do our best.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just let these children be happy and have fun  
> i'm tired of suffering


	7. Of acting and new friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've kind of dropped watching DR3 after last week, and seeing spoilers from the two lastest episodes, I don't even regret it. Is there a word for an emotion between sadness and disappointment, because that's what I feel towards this series right now...  
> Sorry, ignore me. I'm just a really bitter AI Chiaki fangirl, disappointed by what her real counterpart turned out to be like.
> 
> Let me present you chapter 7, in which Hinata questions the sanity of his new friends.

"You can use your scripts freely for now," Yukizome said as she was pointing at the spots they should be standing in when the scene in the classroom starts. Everyone obediently executed her commands. "Of course if someone feels confident at acting without holding onto it, they're free to do it - it's up to you."

Hinata could see Komaeda putting his copy back on one of the desks. Just how skilled this guy was...?

When they entered this room some members of the filming crew were already there - people taking care of the lights and cameras... Yukizome of course introduced them, but soon they moved onto doing their work, and they were on Yukizome's mercy again.

"Hinata-kun, try playing someone really confused. We'll practice Yokohama's internal dilemmas later, since we'll have to record it separately anyway. The rest of you should be a little more confident when speaking up… But let’s leave that for later,” she said with a smile. “To be honest, before I say anything I want you to play this scene according to what you feel it should look like.”

“You want us to… improvise?” Sonia asked hesitantly.

“That’s exactly what I want you to do,” Yukizome replied. “I want to see how well you understand your characters. I believe all of you know them and have some image of them in your head, so… I want you to go ahead and show it to me. Of course I’ll guide you through everything later – it’s just a simple experiment I want you to do.”

“Fine. I accept it,” Mitarai stated. He actually had more dialogues in this scene than the protagonist, who only had to play confused… The rest of them had a comparable amount of screentime, so they only nodded.

Except for Saionji, who happily yelled ‘I’m going to outshine all of you!’, but got ignored.

Hinata quickly read through the first scene again. Leaving his internal monologues out, there wasn’t much for him to do…

“We’re just rehearsing, right? I don’t have to keep quiet every moment because I’m supposed to think?” He made sure.

“We’ll practice that too, but for now let’s go with just the dialogues,” Yukizome replied. “Hinata-kun, you should stand on the other side of the door for now. Yokohama’s arrival starts this scene.”

“Okay.” Hinata nodded, leaving the imitation of a classroom and stopping in the spot the director assigned him.

“Mitarai-kun, Sonia-san, you should be standing a little closer to the entrance door. Yes, just like this!” He could hear Yukizome’s voice giving commands to the others. “Komaeda-kun, don’t space out like this, cheer up a little. Nanami-san, please put your console back into your backpack, that’s the reason you have it.”

Finally, she sighed loudly and left the fake classroom.“I think we’re all set! You ready?!”

“Not really,” Souda mumbled.

“I’ll take that for yes!” She laughed. “Lights – on! Three, two… one… Camera – action!”

The people bustling behind him were moving so quietly that he couldn’t even hear them. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart, as he suddenly found himself horribly nervous. The hand he was holding his script with was starting to sweat, but… There was no turning back. He made a few hesitant steps and pressed the door’s handle.

Inside of ‘the classroom’ everyone was waiting for him.

“…huh?” He tried playing confused as believably as he could, looking around. For a moment his and Komaeda’s eyes met, and he could swear that the other boy smiled at him encouragingly.

“…who goes there?” Pekoyama spoke up, audibly still not feeling very confident.

“…eh?” Hinata uttered another awkward sound, suddenly feeling the urge to laugh. For such a smart character, Yokohama sure seemed like a dork in the beginning.

“Um… are you feeling all right?” Sonia asked, trying to come a little closer. “You look qu…”

And that’s when she stopped abruptly, tripping over a desk and nearly falling, but in the end keeping her balance. “Shit!”

Did she just… curse? A girl like her, seemingly a high class lady… swearing?

“Sonia-san…?” Souda’s expression was showing a complete shock. In turn, Mioda let out a loud, hysterical laugh.

“I can’t believe Sonia-chan did it!”

The blonde girl for a moment was staring at them with eyes wide-open from embarrassment, then fixed her dress and smiled again, though still looking a bit ashamed. “I am sorry. I think I became a little too nervous…”

“It’s fine, Sonia-san,” Yukizome said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of mistakes from all of you, so don’t worry. You’re learning.”

“Seems like we have to start again…” Saionji sighed.

“You haven’t said  a goddamn word yet, stop sounding as if you’re already exhausted!” Kuzuryuu snapped at her.

“Let’s try again!” Yukizome clapped her hands. “Hinata-kun…”

“I know,” he muttered and went back to the door, but it didn’t open. “Huh?”

“It doesn’t open from the inside,” the director explained, laughing awkwardly. “You know… so we can make it easier later.”

In the end, he had to go around one of the walls to find himself back in his spot.

This time things went more smoothly. Sonia watched her steps and approached him without tripping, and everyone started reading their lines, trying to find a right way to do it. Hinata actually smiled when Nanami’s turn came – she sounded so calm… But who knows, maybe she was screaming on the inside. And Mitarai was really doing justice to the impostor’s character, speaking with a right amount of confidence in his voice.

“Instead of trying to figure out why we’re here, we should try to figure out why we can’t leave…” Nidai said his first line, then Owari spoke up, surprising him with how she didn’t sound even a little self-conscious.

“Huh? Whaddaya mean we can’t leave?” She frowned and put one hand on her hip.

“Eh!? Seriously?!” Hanamura raised his voice, then ran up to the door and tried opening it. Just like Hinata tested it before, it didn’t open. He had to admit that it made sense now… “It won’t open! I can’t open it!”

“Huh? W-why?” Koizumi stuttered a little and immediately flinched. Hinata couldn’t stop himself from thinking how relatable it was.

“A little while after I got here, I tried to leave to go take a shit…”

Hinata tried to stay calm with all he had. He really tried not to laugh, but when he heard Mioda shamelessly giggling in the back of the classroom he also let out a quiet chuckle… Though his voice probably drowned in his friend’s laughter.

“Shut up Mioda, we’re trying to focus here!” Owari said.

“Sorry, Akane-chan, but only Nekomaru-chan can talk about taking shit with such a serious face! Even Hajime-chan was less serious when he was watching Naruto and Ibuki told him that-“

“SHUT UP MIODA I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.”

Mitarai sighed and turned to their director. “Are those idiots really going to work, Yukizome-san?”

“After some time… I guess?” She laughed. It didn’t even look like she was annoyed with them. “It was the same with the previous cast and you saw the effects, right?”

“Hey, I think we should start again. Nanami fell asleep.” Souda pointed at the pink-haired girl sitting by one of the desks. “Man, how can she sleep just like this? I was so nervous that I could barely sleep the whole night…”

“I think not sleeping the whole night is a perfectly valid reason to fall asleep now,” Komaeda stated. “Maybe we should start from the moment we stopped at? Starting from the beginning would be...”

“Troublesome,” Koizumi finished his sentence and sighed. “Nidai, start from where you were interrupted. Mioda-san, try not to laugh this time.”

And so they tried again.

“Hey, hey… what’s going on?” It was Souda’s turn.

“Even with all my might, I couldn’t open it! It’d be absolutely impossible for all of you…”

“Not for Suzuki and his bombs.” Kuzuryuu’s quiet voice could be heard in the classroom and Hinata had to bite his tongue to refrain from laughing. “Ka boom.”

“The bomb stash stayed at home today,” Komaeda added in a low voice, making Souda flinch. And Kuzuryuu… actually laughed at that joke? Was even someone taking this seriously? Mioda actually had to support herself on a desk while laughing soundlessly...

“Eh? What do you mean you couldn’t open it? Why? That’s not possible!” Saionji actually tried to stay serious. She even rolled her eyes in annoyance…

Hinata took a deep breath and…

“S-She’s right! It’s impossible!” He exclaimed, grateful that he pretty much had to play someone uncertain. “Because… when I went through the door, it opened normally… It wasn’t locked at all!”

“I was always wondering why they couldn’t just ask Yokohama to hold this damn door when he was entering,” Owari interrupted them bluntly. “They seriously could, but no, they let him close it and nobody said a thing.”

“It’s just a video game… Some things just don’t have to make sense, I think.”

“Oh, Nanami woke up.”

Hinata was beginning to wonder if there’s even anyone normal in here.

Maybe Koizumi. She seemed pretty level-headed.

Finally, it was Komaeda’s turn to play his part.

“Or perhaps…” he started, bringing his hand to his chin and looking directly at Hinata. “Doesn’t it make more sense to think that this is the entrance exam?”

“…the entrance exam? You mean, Hope’s Peak Academy’s?” He replied. Strangely, he felt more relaxed when talking to Komaeda…

“But… according to Hope’s Peak Academy, no such entrance exam exists,” Sonia said.

“They may say that publicly, but it’s possible that this is actually a special entrance exam,” he replied, and Hinata was impressed once again. All of them were fooling around, but he not only was able to take this seriously, but also play it just as perfectly as that scene he did for him a week ago…

And then a squeaky, thin voice resounded. It was clearly coming from behind the teacher’s desk. They had to place the speakers there… “Ah, you’re wrong! This is not an entrance exam!”

“Monomi-chan!” Mioda squealed, only to immediately put her hand over her mouth. They finally got this far, so probably even she wanted to continue.

“What was that just now?” Mitarai asked.

“Hey, fatass… Why’d you make that cutesy voice all of sudden?” Kuzuryuu said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. No wonder he and Saionji didn’t get along – this cast didn’t need two masters of irony.

“I won’t dispute your blunt remark about my weight. But that voice you just heard was not mine…”

“…this is dumb. There’s no way I would ever think this was his voice. Why do I need to act like I’m surprised?” Owari laughed suddenly. “Sorry, sorry… Huh? Then whose is it?”

 “Um, it’s actually mine!” Monomi’s voice spoke up again from behind the desk.

It was so weird. He was dressed as the protagonist of his favorite game and was surrounded by people looking just like the rest of the characters. He was standing in a place looking exactly like a location from it, and could heard the voice of that ridiculous stuffed rabbit just as if it was real.

Hinata could only smile and put his script down on one of the desks. Time to try to simply become the character he was supposed to play.

“Who’s there!? Where are you?!” Nidai shouted.

Nanami slowly stood up and pointed ahead. “It sounds… like it came from behind the teacher’s desk…”

Everyone looked in that direction.

“All right! I see everyone has arrived! Let’s begin!” Something flashed, and the projection of a white rabbit in a dress appeared in that place. Judging from everyone’s excited faces, they were slowly, and finally fitting into their new roles…

And so it went on, with their bad jokes and laughing at all this ridiculousness. It went on, until they got to the moment when the classroom was supposed to fall apart to leave them on a beach. That’s when Yukizome told them to stop.

“So… what now?” Hinata asked.

“What do you think?” The women smiled smugly at them. “We’re doing it again, from the beginning.”

“Huh?!”

“But this time without fooling around and joking,” she continued, and Hinata could swear that saw a sadistic glimmer in her eyes. “And we’re doing it until you get it right.”

“Chisa-chan…?” Mioda uttered hesitantly.

“Everyone, back to their positions! Let’s try again!”

***

“If we were characters of a game, she would be the villain,” Nanami stated quietly while staring at the screen of her console.

“Don’t be like that. She just wants us to do our best,” Komaeda said in return, still smiling, but visibly tired.

After some hours of tormenting them with her advice and repeating that scene over and over again, Yukizome finally decided to let them take a break. All of them happily headed to the café and found themselves a place to sit, somehow separating into smaller groups because of the tables' size. Hinata, to his satisfaction, ended up with the company of Nanami and Komaeda.

“It was just one scene. Just one scene, and we’re already tired,” Souda muttered from his place, the table shared with Kuzuryuu, Pekoyama and Mioda.

“Don’t complain, Kazuichi-chan, Chisa-chan knows what she’s doing… probably,” Mioda added.

“At the audition it seemed so easy, but now…” Koizumi sighed. “We can’t forget this is going to air on TV. People from the whole country are going to watch us. We have to be as professional as we are able to…”

“I-It’s just like Koizumi-san says…” Tsumiki, sitting next to the red-haired girl, said. “It isn’t a school p-play anymore…”

“School play? You’re a member of a drama club or something?” Mitarai asked.

“Me, Mikan-chan and Hiyoko-chan were in the same club in middle school, but now, in high school, it’s only the two of us, as Hiyoko-chan hasn’t graduated yet,” Koizumi explained.

“Woah, three persons that knew each other before got casted?” Souda spoke up, quite surprised.

“It’s obviously not only them,” Kuzuryuu said. “Me and Peko have known each other for quite a long time, Sonia and Tanaka probably too, and there are Mioda and Hinata…”

“Ibuki and Hajime-chan went to the same middle school, and now are still classmates!” Mentioned girl yelled cheerfully right away. “But what’s the deal with Sonia-chan and Gundam-chan?”

She just had to ask. She had to know what kind of relationship they had. She wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t ask.

“We share a bond formed by a contract based on-“ Tanaka started, but soon was cut off by the girl sitting by his side.

“It’s a long story,” she laughed. “In short, we met after I moved here from Europe with my family. Tanaka-san is my neighbor and  I found him in my backyard while he was looking for his turtle. Now we’re a couple.”

“It’s sooo cuuuteee!” Mioda squealed, putting her hands on her cheeks.

“You met your girlfriend because you lost your turtle?” Owari looked at Tanaka and frowned for a moment, then started laughing so hard that she nearly disappeared under the table.

“What the hell…” Souda mumbled with confusion written on his face. “Maybe I should get myself a turtle too…”

“I don’t really think a turtle would help you,” Saionji snickered.

“H-hey!”

While the others were talking, Hinata himself stayed silent, watching them with amusement while chewing his bread. He had a feeling, that with people like them around there will be no place for boredom. Even though he probably was one of the most normal persons in here…

“You don’t eat?” He asked Komaeda, who was also sitting there silently. Even Nanami was holding some bun, even though she didn’t bother to put her game down.

“Well, when I tried to make myself something for lunch this morning I have nearly burnt the kitchen, so…” He muttered in response, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

Hinata only sighed and tore off a piece of his bread and handed it to him. “No luck at all…”

“Huh? Thanks…” Komaeda muttered in a surprised voice, but accepted his offer.

“Or just the absolute lack of cooking skills,” Nanami said. “I made a cake explode in the oven once...”

“How the hell did you do that!?”

She looked at them over her console and spoke in a deadpan voice. “I still have no idea.”

“Komaeda, take a note. We’re never letting her into a kitchen.”

“Noted, Hinata-kun.”

“So Tsumiki, Saionji and Koizumi, then Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama, Tanaka and Sonia-san, and Hinata and Mioda… Hey, but what about Hinata and Komaeda?” They heard Souda’s voice. “Didn’t they know each other before too?”

“Actually no,” Komaeda said. “We’ve never talked until about a week ago.”

“Do we really seem that close?” Hinata furrowed his brows.

“Well, if you ask me, you do,” Souda shrugged. “But if you say so… I guess it’s the same with Nanami?”

“Yhm,” she hummed. “But does that really matter…? We’re all a team now…”

“We’reeee aaaall in thiiis togeeetheeeer-“

“Mioda, I swear to god, if you don’t stop singing that High School Musical song right now, you’re going home alone today,” Hinata interrupted the overly energetic girl.

“You’re terrible, Hajime-chan. But at least Ibuki still has Na-“

“I’m taking Nanami with me. We’ll escort Komaeda to his house just to be sure you’ve gone home already.”

“EEEH!?” This time she looked completely panicked, while the others began to laugh. “Why are you so cruel to Ibuki?!”

“It’s not cruelty. It’s justice.”

“Fine! Then Ibuki takes Kazuichi-chan!” She exclaimed, putting her arm around the surprised boy’s neck.

“Why me?!”

“Because Kazuichi-chan is just as lonely as Ibuki!”

“You know what?! I’ve known you for about a week and I’ve already had enough!”

They were so ridiculous. Especially Mioda was, but… Hinata was somehow happy for her. Before, it was always the two of them – it didn’t matter if they wanted it or not, they were still ending up in the same class, and didn’t even bother looking for friends somewhere else, as there weren’t many people that could handle Mioda, and Hinata wasn’t exactly the most social person… So they just stayed like this.

But now… It could finally change. Not that he didn’t appreciate their friendship, it wasn’t like that. I was just… They were surrounded by people with similar interests, who actually seemed to like them, so…

It looked like their world would finally get bigger.

***

“Sorry to interrupt your fun, but I have to ask Hinata-kun to go with me,” Yukizome said, entering the room after like twenty minutes. “We have to practice his parts.”

“So we’re still free?” Nidai asked.

“For now. Or maybe you want to see Hinata-kun struggle?” She giggled and Hinata wanted to protest, but nobody looked exactly eager to leave their place.

“Surprise us, Hinata,” Mitarai said.

“Yeah!” Mioda nodded. “We’ll see how Hajime-chan did when everything will be ready!”

“You’re just too lazy to move,” Hinata sighed. “But I guess that’s alright. Less people around, less stress for me.”

“I actually wanted to come and watch…” Nanami said quietly. “But if you don’t want it…”

“I didn’t mean it like this!” He exclaimed. “If you want to, then I don’t mind…”

“Can I also tag along?” Komaeda asked. “Maybe I’ll be useful somehow…”

“Fine,” he sighed again. Why was he sighing so much. “If you want to, then let’s go. This chaos isn’t going to get any worse without us.”

“Are you sure? Mioda and Saionji are still here.” Kuzuryuu reminded him.

“I’m trying to believe we won’t come back to find this room in ruin, but you’re not helping.”

“Anyway, have fun, you three,” Souda added when they stood up to follow Yukizome.

She lead them back to the fake restaurant. Unlike before, this time the room was completely empty, except for them.

“Sit down,” she instructed them. “This time we’re not going to record this, since I only want to guide Hinata-kun a little. I think he’ll have this figured out in no time.”

It only made him nervous again. What if he fails. What if Yukizome comes to regret choosing him to play this role. What if…

“Relax, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda said. “We’ll help you if you need it. Right, Nanami-san?”

The girl nodded without hesitation. “We’re the Hinata-kun cheer squad.”

“When did you form something like this?”

“Right now.” She smiled warmly.

They didn’t even notice Yukizome watching them and actually looking a bit moved by their adorably lame behavior. And maybe it was better this way. It was easier to act embarrassingly when they thought nobody saw this, and to Hinata’s surprise it was… unexpectedly easy. At least when he was around these two.

He still felt nervous about reciting Yokohama’s internal dilemmas out loud. He was still hesitant, but… having someone encourage him felt nice.

“Not like this, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda interrupted him once, not letting Yukizome do that. “How should I put it… Try imagining yourself speaking to people you can’t see, but you know they’ll watch it…”

“Like in a video blog,” Nanami muttered a suggestion.

“Hmm… Like this?” He changed the tone of his voice. “Anyway… I guess I should introduce myself first. I’m not so special that I have to introduce myself, and formalities are always a little embarrassing… Well, that’s what is expected… I guess that’s how I should think about it.”

“Yes, that’s it!” Komaeda exclaimed cheerfully. “You really have talent for this.”

“It seems that I’m not even needed here,” Yukizome stated. “The three of you do all the work.”

“It’s not like this, Yukizome-san…” Nanami denied immediately. “We still need you to tell us if our suggestions are right…”

“Right. No matter how much we want to help, we still don’t have any real experience,” Komaeda added.

“You are such nice kids.” She smiled at them gently and extended her hand to ruffle Nanami’s hair. “Let’s try one more time and then we’ll go get the rest of your friends.”

***

After the break everyone, even Mioda, started acting more seriously. It was a bit weird, since they got to the parts with Monomi, and she was absolutely ridiculous… But Hinata came to a conclusion that it wasn’t a thing to complain about.

They managed to go through the whole first scene, to the moment Yokohama fainted. It was actually the worst part of it – Yukizome required him to fall in a believable way, and it was damn hard. Probably everyone at least once tried to fall without resisting at all, and usually people support themselves with their hands on the last moment, in fear of pain coming from colliding with the floor. It was the same with Hinata, and the duet of Saionji and Mioda laughing in the background wasn’t helping him at all. He was also sure he got himself some bruises while trying.

When they were finally told that they’re free, everyone was already half-asleep. Probably nobody expected it to be so exhausting, but… It didn’t seem like anyone was unhappy with that. Hinata himself actually felt some unknown to him kind of satisfaction while showering and changing back into his own clothes.

“You should dry your hair,” he said to Komaeda, who was checking something on his phone. “I know it’s summer, but it can get pretty chilly in the evening.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he replied, running his hand through his damp, brown hair. “But thanks for caring about me so much, Hinata-kun.”

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, zipping up his backpack. Why he was making it seem like caring about a friend was so weird? “So I’ll be going. I have to catch up to Mioda and Nanami…”

“Wait!” Komaeda called out to him, then suddenly looked ashamed of himself. “Sorry… I mean… I’m ready to go too, so… can I go with you?”

“Why are even asking? I’ve been literally spending all my free time here with you. Just come on,” he replied, on the last moment stopping himself from sighing again. It was actually getting a little annoying… He didn’t mean that Komaeda was annoying, but his behavior sometimes sure was. Hinata’s somewhat harsh personality kept telling him to snap at Komaeda’s constant hesitance, and normally he would do that, but…

Komaeda wasn’t Mioda. He wasn’t someone he had known for years, and he probably also weren’t someone who wouldn’t take his words to the heart. Hinata could he harsh sometimes, but he wasn’t an asshole. He will have to learn how to deal with Komaeda in a different way.

“Sorry.” He smiled. “Earlier you said that Mioda-san is going home alone today, so I couldn’t know for sure you didn’t want to spend time with Nanami-san…”

“I was just teasing her. I wouldn’t really leave her alone,” Hinata explained. “Anyway, let’s go.”

“Right.”

When they left the room they saw a pink-haired girl leaning against the wall and looking at the ground while holding onto the straps of her backpack. When she heard the door of their dressing room open, she raised her head and looked in their direction, smiling instantly.

“I was waiting for you, Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun,” she said. “Shall we go?”

“Where’s Mioda?” Hinata asked.

“She went ahead. I told her we’ll catch up to her…”

No way. There was no way in hell they would ever catch up to Ibuki Mioda. If she went ahead, she was as good as gone.

“By the way, Nanami-san,” Komaeda spoke up, reaching inside his bag. “I’m returning this.”

He pulled out the console Nanami entrusted to him a week ago and handed it to her. She took it carefully, flipping it over to see how much it has changed over this time… Though Hinata couldn’t really tell the difference from how it looked back then. The only thing that was certain was that the scratch wasn’t there anymore.

“I’m not sure how it came out, since the paint I found was a little darker than the original one, but I hope I didn’t make it worse.”

Nanami’s smile only grew bigger as she ran her fingers over the place the scratch was supposed to be. “It’s even prettier than it was. Thank you, Komaeda-kun.”

“You don’t have to thank me…”

“But I want to,” she said. For a moment she looked as if she was wondering about something, then she moved her gaze from Komaeda to Hinata, and back to Komaeda. “So… Will you play with me?”

“But we have only one console,” Hinata pointed out.

“We’ll take turns,” she replied.

“We were supposed to go home.”

“It can wait…”

Right. He had no idea how late her sister was coming back home, and Nanami didn’t like to be alone. There was also a chance his house was empty too. He didn’t know anything about Komaeda’s family though, except for the Naegis being his cousins…

There was a chance none of them really wanted to go home yet.

“Then let’s play together,” he said in the end. “I may be tired, but not enough to not being able to hold a console.”

Nanami’s eyes lit up in excitement and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. “And what about you, Komaeda-kun?”

“I… can stay for a while if you want me to, I guess,” he finally agreed.

“Thank you!” Nanami exclaimed, visibly relieved. Suddenly, she took both of them by the hands and pulled them forward, to make them follow her. “Let’s find ourselves a good place!”

***

“How is that possible, that Komaeda has basically no skills, but still keeps on winning?” Hinata asked while trying to avoid some obstacle in the game he was currently playing.

“The luck of the beginner,” Nanami muttered sleepily.

“Ridiculous,” he mumbled in response, while Komaeda only laughed at it. “Do you even know which buttons you should press?”

They were all sitting on the floor, even though they had the sofas they found on their second day here just next to them. Hinata didn’t even question why.

“Not at all. I just press whatever seems useful,” he laughed. “Well, if it works, then good for me, right?”

“Absolutely  ridiculous,” Hinata repeated. “Look, I lost again. I beat my record though. Your turn, Nanami.”

“Huh?” She rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Oh, right…”

For a moment the only sounds around them was the music from Nanami’s game.

“It’s quite weird…” Hinata muttered after about a minute. “It’s weird how it’s exactly the three of us that decided to stick together.”

“Why do you think so?” Nanami asked.

“Can you imagine Suzuki, Yokohama and Yamada playing games together and actually getting along?”

“We’re not them. And that would be pretty cute, I think,” she replied. “Maybe in an another reality…”

“Like an alternate universe?” Komaeda wondered.

“Yhm. With no hope or despair…” Nanami muttered.

“But wouldn’t it be boring?”

“Well, Mioda told me that fans write fanfics like this and people actually read them, so it wouldn’t be boring to everyone, I guess,” Hinata stated. “Let these guys rest. They’re tired of this bullshit.”

“I won again,” Nanami said suddenly. “And the battery will be dead soon…”

That’s when they heard someone’s footsteps. Hinata immediately became worried that it was some security guard, as it was becoming quite late, but…

“You’re still here?” Yukizome said in a surprised voice. “What are you doing?”

“Playing,” Nanami mumbled.

“Losing,” Hinata added.

“I don’t know.” Komaeda just shrugged his shoulders, making the women laugh.

“I think you should go home. You need to rest. I won’t go easy on you tomorrow,” she warned them. “I’m leaving too, I just forgot something at my office. Goodnight.”

When she disappeared inside the room they looked at each other.

“She’s right,” Nanami said.

“So… want us to escort you home like I said before, Komaeda?” Hinata joked awkwardly.

“I don’t want to take more of your time,” he replied, smiling at them. “You already made me happy enough by spending so much time with me…”

“Phone numbers,” Nanami said suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Let’s exchange phone numbers,” she explained. “This way… we can stay in touch no matter what.”

“It’s a good idea.” Hinata reached for his backpack to pull out his phone. “I actually wanted to suggest that too.”

“Are you sure…?” Komaeda muttered.

“Give me a break, Komaeda…” He sighed. “I can assure you that I mean everything I say. And don’t make me repeat myself, I’m too tired…”

“Sorry,” the other boy laughed. “Of course I don’t mind telling you my phone number. I doubt you’ll ever use it though.”

About twenty seconds later Komaeda’s phone signaled that he’s got a message.

“Wrong,” Nanami said, yawning. “I already used it.”

“You literally sent him an emoticon…”

“Too sleepy to be creative…”

“Let’s finally go home. If we stay here any longer, we’ll end up spending the night here,” Hinata commented, getting up. “So… Goodnight, Komaeda.”

“Yhm. Goodnight…” He smiled, then somehow turned more serious and dropped his gaze, only to look up again. “And see you tomorrow…”

It made Hinata remember that he wasn’t the only person that was struggling with something. They probably both had difficulties at dealing with each other.

But it didn’t mean things weren’t going to be okay. They were trying. 

So he only smiled and replied.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bury me in happy komahinanami interactions
> 
> Really, really thank you for all the comments and kudos, it makes me so happy to know that you enjoy this story! I honestly can't remember the last time I was this proud of myself for creating something, and I'm so glad I'm able to write a story that you find worth reading. Thank you so much!


	8. Fixing the mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I were to list all the things I feel angry, sad or disappointed about in DR3, it would easily turn into a rant probably longer than this chapter, so I'll just shut up.  
> It's just... Please, don't hate the SDR2 Chiaki because of that mistake that was DR3 Nanami.
> 
> Today on the 'despair isn't real' fic: the first conflict, how they react to it, and also Tsumiki saving the day (I really love my daughter, she deserves better)

“So, how was your first day at work?” Hinata’s father asked him in the morning next day, while he was finishing his breakfast.

“Fine, I guess,” he muttered in response, without adding anything else. What he should tell him anyway? That most of the time they’re goofing around? That the person supervising them is just as little serious as them? Or maybe that he probably has a cru…

No, no, no, that was definitely out of question.

“Made any new friends?” His father continued questioning him.

Hinata recalled the memory of him, Komaeda and Nanami sitting on the floor, chatting idly, and actually having a good time even though they were supposed to play and had only one console. “There’s two of them,” he replied.

“I’m glad to hear that, since you always were hanging out only with that Mioda girl. You can bring them home sometime.” His father smiled.

“Why? You’re almost never home anyway,” Hinata sighed, standing up from his place.

“If you told us beforehand, I’m sure we would find some time…”

“I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ll be going,” he said, picking up his backpack.

“So… good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Something was telling him that maybe he shouldn’t be so harsh on him. He was trying to talk with him, and he couldn’t really do anything about his working schedule…

Oh well. Maybe next time.

***

“Hinata-kun?” Nanami spoke up when they were sitting in the train. It was a real miracle they had even found any free seats. It’s always like that in the morning, even though when they’re going back it’s empty. “What do you think, where’s Mioda-san?”

“Hmm… I think she’s pretending to be mad at us for actually leaving her alone yesterday and took an earlier train,” Hinata replied.

“Why pretending?” Nanami made a surprised face.

“Because this girl doesn’t really know how to be mad at someone,” he sighed. “She’s always been like this. When Ultra Despair Girls came out I was the first one to buy the game and play it. I kind of spoiled Servant’s scheme to her, so she swore she’s never talking to me again. She forgot about it the next day.”

“If it was me, I probably wouldn’t speak to you for a week…” Nanami muttered.

“That’s a pretty normal reaction.” Hinata shrugged. “I bet she’ll welcome us normally when we arrive.”

“I hope you’re right…” She fell silent for some seconds, then spoke up again. “How did the two of you even become friends? I don’t mean anything bad, it’s just… You seem so different from each other…”

“It’s… a long story. Too long to be talking about it here, I guess,” Hinata said. “I’ll leave it for another time.”

Nanami simply smiled at him. “Okay. Just don’t forget you promised to tell me.”

***

This time they headed straight to the hotel restaurant. It seemed like this room had became their meeting place, as they could hear the voices of their colleagues as soon as they entered the hallway. But something didn’t seem right. It was different from yesterday.

Hinata and Nanami exchanged looks and fastened their pace, and when they finally reached the door they became even more confused. Komaeda and Tsumiki were standing next to each other, the girl holding a  hamster in her hands, and both of them were looking at Souda, who in turn was glaring at Komaeda.

“Stop doing this,” he said firmly.

“Eh?” Komaeda looked utterly confused.

“Stop behaving like him. We’re not acting now, so just stop. It’s fucking creepy,” Souda continued. “Are you trying to be cool? Or maybe you just want to annoy some of us?”

“I don’t understand,” the other boy replied. “It’s just me…”

“You don’t even know how much this character creeps me out. I get it, you got casted as him, but I don’t want some guy reminding me of him even when it’s not necessary.”

“No, I…”

“Or maybe you’re one of the people who like Suzuki? Too bad I’m not, he was the worst nightma-“

“So you’re simply scared?”

If it was possible, then everyone in the room fell even more silent than before when Komaeda’s tone changed from defensive to deadpan serious. Confusion also disappeared from his face, leaving place for something Hinata couldn’t read.

“No, it’s not…” Souda muttered awkwardly, but Komaeda interrupted him.

“Are you really scared of me? Me?” He repeated the last word, emphasizing it. “Did I do anything? Or maybe you expect me to do something unexpected, like, blowing up a building? Or planning a murder? Or even wanting to kill all of you?”

“W-what…”

“Who knows, maybe I’m plotting something ridiculous as we speak now,” he laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, not the one Hinata has heard so many times already. “You really think so, Souda-kun?”

“Of course I don’t!” He yelled, but in reality he actually looked scared, that’s how much of an impression Komaeda’s rant left on him.

The other boy only smiled innocently again. “Then sorry for assuming. I’ll leave for now, in order not to irritate you anymore.”

He turned in the direction of the door, finally noticing Hinata and Nanami. When their eyes met for a second, he could swear that Komaeda seemed to regret what he’s done, but then he avoided his gaze and passed them while leaving the room, mumbling a quiet ‘sorry’.

“What the hell just happened...?” Hinata asked, approaching Souda, and Tsumiki, who looked as if she was about to pass out, but still decided to answer.

“One of the h-hamsters ran away from Tanaka-san, so Komaeda-san t-tried to help with catching it…” She tried to explain. “But it bit him, and I was worried…”

“And then he started rambling about how he doesn’t deserve our attention and other things like that,” Souda finished. “Sorry, it just annoyed the hell out of me…”

“What are you, dumb?!” Kuzuryuu snapped at him. “Are you really going to bash an innocent  guy because you identify him with the role he’s playing?”

“Innocent? Did you even hear him talking a moment ago?” Souda frowned.

“You provoked him, you idiot!”

“You really are insensitive,” Sonia sighed, purposely not looking at him.

“Sonia-san!?”

Then Hinata noticed Yukizome, who looked as if she had no idea what she should do first – lecture Souda, or run after Komaeda. After a moment she settled on the second option. “I better look for him…”

She was already on her way when Tsumiki stopped her. “Ehm… I… P-please, let me handle this!”

This time she was the one to receive the surprised looks.

“What do you mean?” Yukizome asked.

“I’ll t-talk to Komaeda-san!” She exclaimed, stopping in front of Tanaka to give the hamster to him before running out of the room and nearly tripping over Nanami’s foot. Fortunately, she was able to keep her balance and run in the same direction Komaeda went before.

“Is it going to be fine?” The director looked even more worried than a minute ago.

“Let the pig handle this,” Saionji said. Hinata didn’t notice her before, since her being so quiet seemed unlikely.

He also didn’t notice when he closed his hands into fists. He realized he was angry. Really, truly angry at Souda for his stupid behavior. It was his first time seeing Komaeda snap like this and... remembering it was making him ever more mad. Damn it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this…

“I should look for him…” He muttered involuntarily.

“I said let the pig handle this,” Saionji repeated, this time with annoyance. “Listen, I doubt the trash prince would now listen to anyone, including Yukizome-san, big sis Nanami and big bro Hinata. So let Tsumiki do whatever she wants.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hinata was barely holding back from yelling at someone.

That’s when Koizumi decided to lighten the mood. “She means that Mikan-chan might know the right way to approach him,” she said with a smile. “She’s smarter than she looks.”

“I could do it too,” Saionji snorted, crossing her arms. “I just don’t feel like bothering myself with being nice to him.”

“You never do,” Souda pointed out. “And yet I’m the only one that gets a lecture.”

An uncomfortable kind of silence fell in the room. It was true. They were supposed to get along, but… they were kind of making the same mistakes their characters made.

“Listen to me for a moment, kids,” Yukizome started in serious, but at the same time gentle voice. “I know all of you are different and it’s probably impossible to like each other equally. I understand it. But you have to consider the feelings of others, okay?” She looked at Souda and Saionji. “I’m especially talking to you two. I’m responsible for you, and… I don’t want anyone to be unhappy here. You understand it, right?”

“Yes, Yukizome-san…” The blonde girl lowered her gaze, most likely feeling guilty.

“Sorry…” Souda muttered.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. Saionji-san… Try being a little nicer, okay? And you, Souda-kun, please, apologize to Komaeda-kun when he’s back. He’s not doing it on purpose, it’s just the way he is. So… will you do it?”

“Fine. I will,” he said. “But I don’t really like him.”

“You don’t have to like someone to be a decent human being,” Koizumi stated.

Hinata could feel himself breathing out in relief. Thanks to Yukizome this conflict seemed to be basically solved, and he couldn’t even think of a way to thank her, but…

Even if Souda apologizes, the problem wasn’t gone. What was said, was said… and Komaeda didn’t react well to that.

“We can only count on Tsumiki-san now,” Nanami said sadly. “Hinata-kun…”

“Yeah. I’m worried too. But… Let’s believe in both of them, okay?”

The pink-haired girl only nodded.

***

Tsumiki started wondering where Komaeda may have gone only after she ran out of the hallway. She did it on a whim, not really thinking much.

She just wanted to help. He was trying to hide how Souda’s words affected him, but she could see it… She had to react somehow.

So she ran after him, while tripping over her own legs.

Finally, she caught up to him and saw the glimpse of his back.

“K-Komaeda-san!” She called out to him, relieved that she didn’t have to look long. He turned to her, and…

That’s when she realized she became too relaxed. She managed not to fall while chasing after him, but now, after all, she tripped and smashed herself into the floor. “Ouch!”

“Tsumiki-san?!” Komaeda immediately ran up to her with a worried expression. “Is everything okay?"

“I’m sooorryyy!” She whined automatically, sitting up on the floor.

“Calm down. Did you hurt yourself?” He asked, crouching down next to her.

“I-I’m fine… It h-hurts a bit, but… Wait, t-this is not what I was supposed to talk with you about!” She exclaimed, clenching her fists. “I w-was looking for you!”

“Eh? Why?” He seemed confused.

“Because you r-ran away… after what Souda-san said…”

Komaeda waved his hand with an apologetic smile. “I didn’t ran away. I just didn’t want to upset him any longer…”

“K-Komaeda-san…” Tsumiki muttered hesitantly, not being able to force herself to look at him. “I understand… t-the feeling of wanting to run away…”

“…huh?”

“It ‘s just… You don’t have to p-pretend… I understand it!” She looked at him to notice that he finally seemed to be taking her seriously. It was still hard to read him though, what made the girl feel a little intimidated. She preferred to know what to expect, even when it wasn’t anything good. Not knowing was scary…

She mustered up the courage to speak again and opened her mouth, feeling the need to explain herself.

“W-when I was younger… I was bullied,” she confessed, knowing her hands are trembling. “So… r-running away is nothing new to me…”

“I don’t mean to hurt you in any way, but…” Komaeda spoke up quietly. “You’re still being bullied. What Saionji-san is doing to you is bullying.”

“I know,” Tsumiki nodded. “B-but… back then, it was worse. There was more of them. Actually… Since I met Saionji-san, she’s been keeping t-them away from me, so I think it’s okay. She may seem mean, but… she cares in her own way...”

“If you think so…” He muttered, clearly not convinced.

“Yhm!” She tried her best to smile. “T-there were a lot of moments when she actually helped me! And I… think I gained some c-confidence since then… There are still times when I feel completely useless, though I’m really trying not to run away anymore. B-but it’s okay!” Tsumiki exclaimed. “Running away when you feel hurt is okay!”

“Is that… really what you think?” The boy asked.

“Yes!” She nodded once more, this time more enthusiastically. “Though… I b-believe Komaeda-san one day will stop running away too!”

“Eh?” His green-gray eyes widened in surprise.

“I want to say, that…” She stopped, suddenly feeling less confident, but in the end decided to say it, raising her clenched fists in an encouraging gesture. “I’m cheering on you, Komaeda-san!”

For a moment he looked as if someone hit him – he was shocked, lost, confused… But then a smile appeared on his face, turning into a laughter a moment later.

“You’re a really kind person,” he said. “Even if I don’t deserve it, thank you. I actually feel better now.”

Tsumiki could feel her heart jump at his words. She still wasn’t used to people thanking her – usually they were treating her harshly, or they were pretending to be nice only to use her, but…

Now, when Komaeda thanked her with a smile, she couldn’t stop herself from giggling happily while awkwardly scratching her neck.

“Hey, hey, what are Mikan-chan and Nagito-chan doing here?” They heard a cheerful voice somewhere near. “Ibuki only went to toilet and it seems she missed a lot!”

“Nothing really important. Tsumiki-san just helped me with something.” Komaeda stood up, then extended his hand to the girl still sitting on the floor. “Let’s go back.”

“R-right!” She accepted his help and got back to her feet.

“Eeeeh?! Now Ibuki’s sure you’re hiding something from her!” Mioda yelled, following them. “Mikan-chan? Nagito-chan!?”

Tsumiki’s goal was to make Komaeda feel a little better, but…

In reality, she felt better too. As if she did something only she could do, and it was something good. Maybe taking part in the audition really wasn’t a bad idea, and would help her finally accept herself the way she was?

Right now, she was the closest to believing it than ever before.

***

"Are you sure you're okay? You looked... pretty moved by his stupid comments..." Hinata muttered while fixing his tie. He couldn't read Komaeda at all. When he came back with Tsumiki and, who knows why, Mioda, nothing seemed to be wrong anymore. Maybe Tsumiki really knew what she was doing...

"Yeah. Souda-kun apologized, so it's fine, right?" He smiled, putting his hoodie on. "Besides, I made fun of him as a comeback."

"It's your idea of making fun...?" Hinata whispered under his breath, then sighed. "You know, if something bothers you, you can talk to me. I probably don't look exactly like a reliable person, but I can at least listen."

"...I'll remember that," he said, as if considering accepting his offer, but in the end he shook his head and decided to change the topic. "Hey, Hinata-kun, it seems that we'll be working together a lot today. Yukizome-san mentioned that we'll be moving onto the characters introductions today."

"Really?" Hinata asked, his voice betraying his excitement. He immediately wanted to take that back, hating how obvious it was that Komaeda's presence was putting him at ease, but the other boy didn't seem to notice it at all. "I mean... that's great, right? It's just... talking to you is easier, you know?"

"Huh?"

"Ehm..." He uttered, looking at the floor. Embarrassing. Definitely embarrassing. But if he doesn't say it properly, Komaeda won't understand. It's just the way he is. "When I'm around you... Acting just seems easier? It comes more naturally... I'm more relaxed, I guess. That's a good thing," he said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

“It’s… It’s the same for me,” he replied hesitantly, but actually smiled. “To be honest, I’m pretty nervous around the others, so… I’m glad we’ll be almost constantly together at first.”

"Later we'll also have a lot of scenes together..."

"But not as friends. We'll sometimes be allies, but mostly enemies," Komaeda reminded him sadly.

"I don't think it will be that bad though," Hinata said. "Some of these scenes are pretty funny. And it's not us who are enemies - we're here to have fun."

"Right." His companion smiled, probably a little reassured. "Let's go. We don't have time to waste."

***

"Watch closely, kids," Yukizome said, placing a laptop on the table they were sitting by. "This is the material we've recorded yesterday. Or maybe I should say some fragments of it."

"Only some fragments...?" Pekoyama muttered.

"Of course. In the end, we've recorded all of your failed attempts of acting seriously," she laughed and all of them twitched in distress.

"So they recorded even Sonia-chan saying 'shit'..."

"And big bro Hinata yelling ‘SHUT UP’ at big sis Ibuki like every five minutes…”

“Shut up, Saionji.”

“Please, delete it…” Sonia said, sounding pretty ashamed of herself.

“I’m sorry, but this is not an option,” Yukizome replied. “We need some material for bloopers in the DVD release.”

“I am going to be the family disappointment!” She exclaimed in panic, then moved her chair closer to Tanaka and took the end of his scarf, hiding her face in it.

“Do not fear it, my Lady. Even if you burn to ashes, you shall raise from them like a phoenix,” Tanaka turned to her with a worried face.

“Anyway, let’s get back to our topic. There are only some fragments here also because you did pretty great and I don’t have much to complain about,” Yukizome said with a smile. “If we really tried, we would be able to use it in the actual episodes, but I believe you can do even better. That’s why I want to show some of you what could be better.”

“Only some? Ouch,” Mioda let out a loud whisper and frowned. “So who are the perfect ones?”

“Well, the people I don’t have any advice for are Mitarai-kun, Tanaka-kun, Saionji-san, Komaeda-kun and Sonia-san,” she stated. “But it’s not like the rest of you are making any terrible mistakes, so… maybe let’s start with you?”

For a moment Mioda froze, then her gaze hardened. “Hmm… Well, why not? Ibuki’s ready to take whatever’s on her way!” She exclaimed with determination.

“You and Hinata-kun basically have the same problem, so I’ll talk about him too,” Yukizome said, making the boy flinch. “In this part Yokohama talks just after Inami, so… let’s see.”

She showed them the short fragment of Mioda performing her lines, and Hinata going just after her. It didn’t even last a minute, but… it was weird, seeing himself from this perspective. And have everyone else watch too.

“So? What do you think is the problem?” Yukizome asked them, but the only answer was silence.

Though Hinata could see Komaeda eyeing him from the side, as if he wanted to tell him something.

“Go ahead,” he whispered to him. “If you think it will help, just say it.”

Komaeda smiled at him, took a deep breath, and… “They were talking a bit too fast… or at least that’s what I think you meant, Yukizome-san?”

“Komaeda-kun is right.” She smiled brightly. “Like I said, it’s not a terrible mistake. I’ll blame it on nervousness, since it was your first day, but pay attention to that.”

“But Ibuki always talks fast…” Mioda became sullen all of sudden. “How she is supposed to change it now?”

“Maybe you’ve forgotten, but you can do it. Remember the time we were in the drama club,” Hinata sighed. “You could do pretty much anything.”

“And what about Hajime-chan?”

“Just as Yukizome-san said, I was nervous.”

“In Hinata-kun’s case…” She spoke up again. “There were moments when he acted perfectly, but also moments when he was momentarily falling out of his role. I guess it’s a matter of getting used to acting.”

Hinata breathed out in relief. It really wasn’t anything serious. And… he could easily tell which parts he performed more smoothly. Those ones when he was talking to Komaeda.

“Next is Nanami-san,” Yukizome said, choosing another fragment to show them.

“We already know what her problem is,” Kuzuryuu muttered. “Falling asleep.”

“Well…” The director looked at her. “Yes, that’s basically it.”

Nanami puffed her cheeks when everyone started laughing at Yukizome’s statement, and…

Hinata thought, that everything surrounding him seemed to be a much more friendly environment that he expected it to be.

***

“Not using the script anymore?” Komaeda grinned at him as they were placing themselves on the floor. They were supposed to start with the scene on the beach.

“I’ve learned half of the script by heart by now,” Hinata replied. “Except for the pauses. You know, how long I’m supposed to stay silent when I’m thinking…”

“Then just repeat that particular line in your head. It should be fine like this,” he suggested.

“You ready, boys?” Yukizome asked. “Just start whenever you are, okay?”

Hinata tried to ignore everyone’s looks and laid down on the floor, trying to find a natural position.

_You’ll be okay. You did it before for fun. It’s not that different._

“Okay. We can start,” he muttered.

He wondered how it will be like with all of these cameras filming them from different perspectives. It will certainly be harder that just rehearsing like this…

“Hey… can you hear me…?” Komaeda leaned over him a little, covering the source of light so Hinata could clearly see his face. He really was attractive… No, maybe ‘pretty’ would be a better word. With this make-up he seemed almost like a porcelain doll… Though Hinata liked him better without it – he didn’t seem so feeble.

He wasn’t even trying to chase these thoughts away anymore, it was simply the truth. He had to avoid Komaeda’s gaze so he wouldn’t turn red just from looking at him.

But there was also another thing he noticed – Komaeda was really good at controlling his expression. Hinata almost couldn't tell apart his acting from how he normally was. Everything seemed authentic.

“Are you okay?” He went on, seemingly concerned, just like a week ago. “You seem pretty out of it… To be honest, I’m also… No, everyone else feels the same, too. Since we suddenly… got put in this weird situation.”

But this time it was more... real.

“…hey, are you listening? Are you sure that you’re okay?”

Though he was pretty sure he could hear a slight amusement in his voice. He was about to mutter his line in an annoyed tone, but then they heard a sound of...

...a camera's flash. They instantly turned in the direction of that sound to see Mioda holding her phone in front of her.

“Oh no… Ibuki forgot to turn the flash off…” she whispered loudly, looking at Hinata with a terrified face.

“Can I ask you what’re you doing?” He hissed, sitting up on the floor.

“Eee… Ibuki’s making photos to sell them to the shippers on the internet,” she said, laughing awkwardly and slowly backing off. That one statement ruined Hinata’s attempts of staying collected, as he felt all the blood rushing to his face.

“Yukizome-san, I think we’ll be holding a trial soon.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because I’m going to murder her.”

“I don’t think we’ll need a trial if you just tell us you’re the culprit…” Komaeda muttered. Hinata just then noticed his flushed cheeks that even the make-up couldn’t hide. Great. Suddenly he wasn’t as mad at Mioda as just a moment ago.

“Listen, Hajime-chan, it was a joke! The shippers will have the time of their life when the show comes out anyway…”

Or maybe he still was. “Get rekt, Mioda.”

“Ibuki was joking, really! She just wants to make a special photo album later!” She exclaimed finally, knowing that sooner or later Hinata would lay his hands on her phone and delete these pics.

“A photo album…?” Nanami asked quietly.

“Yhm! Ibuki came up with the idea thanks to Mahiru-chan!” She nodded happily.

“Eh? Me?”

“Yeah! Mahiru-chan said that she likes making photos of people she cares about, and now you’re all Ibuki’s friends, so Ibuki decided to make an album!” Mioda smiled cheerily. “So sorry, but Ibuki’s going to annoy you a little!”

Hinata only sighed. Will he ever get used to this, because at this point it seemed impossible. “Just do whatever you want. I don’t even care anymore.”

“I think… I think this is a nice idea,” Komaeda said suddenly, and Koizumi nodded.

“I think so too. I could help, and then we would make copies for everyone!”

“That would mean these of us whose characters die early would be on a few of them…” Hanamura reminded them.

“You’re free to come here and hang out with the rest even if your character doesn’t appear anymore,” Yukizome stated with a smile. “I support the idea.”

“Then… smile for the photo, Hajime-chan!” Mioda yelled, rising the hand she was holding the phone in.

“I’m not…”

“Don’t be like that, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda moved closer to him, smiling widely. “It won’t hurt, you know?”

Too close.

“M-maybe… Anyway, give me back my personal space, Komaeda.”

“Oh, sorry!”

And that’s when they heard the flash again, and he realized that another day of his suffering has begun.

***

“I’m sorry… I forgot my line,” Nanami stated in a barely audible voice, staring at the ground. “Can we start again…? I’ll do better this time…”

They were in the hotel lobby now, standing by the arcade game and going through Nana Yamada’a introduction scene. At first it seemed to be going okay, but… Nanami suddenly stumbled and fell silent. She even ceased to act as if she was playing the game, simply staring at one point.

“Is anything wrong?” Hinata asked her gently, but she shook her head, despite still looking uneasy.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, taking off the kitty backpack and pulling out her script.

Right. She was trying to act without it. Some of them, like Souda or Nidai, were still holding onto it while rehearsing, but Nanami decided not to do it. Probably that’s why she looked so ashamed of herself for forgetting…

“It’s okay, Nanami-san,” Yukizome spoke up. “Nobody’s perfect at first…”

“But I’m playing the character that’s supposed to be perfect,” she whispered. Hinata was pretty sure only him and Komaeda heard it. “I know, Yukizome-san. I tried to overdo it, even though I knew I’ll get nervous without looking at the script and fail…”

So she was beating herself up about that too? About failing? Hinata couldn’t tell that he wasn’t surprised. She always seemed calm and not really moved by anything…

“Just read from it for now, okay?” The director suggested with a tiny bit of sympathy in her voice. “I’m sure Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun wouldn’t have anything against practicing with you a bit more.”

“Okay…” She held tightly onto the pile of papers in her hands, then put it on the game machine.

“Do not worry about it, Nanami-san!” Sonia shouted form the place the rest was observing them. “A while ago I kept forgetting my lines too!”

“M-me too!” Tsumiki nodded eagerly.

“You still do it,” Saionji snarked, but then, to the surprise of all of them, her expression softened. “But I guess I do it too from time to time.”

Nanami took a deep breath before opening her mouth again. “Then… I guess I’ll just try again,” she said with a slight smile. “Hinata-kun, could you…?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, then picked up from where they left. “It seems like this conversation is going rather slow…”

“Well, she is gaming right now,” Komaeda laughed.

“It’s more like…” Nanami started, then paused. “I’m the kind of person who has to gather my thought before I can start talking… Like, I can’t talk that well unless I’ve already prepared everything I want to say in my head…” She read from the script while trying to also manage the game. “Especially when I’m meeting new people… Well, if I get used to them, I can usually talk a little faster.” Nanami yawned, then said the final words from her introduction. “I’m sleepy…”

Hinata felt himself breathing in relief. He couldn’t help but feel nervous for her too, since he could understand it well.

“You see, Nanami-san? It wasn’t that bad,” Komaeda said to her, still being the seemingly only unfazed person.

“She probably doesn’t want to hear it from you, mister perfection.”

“Eh? Mister perfection? Where is that coming from?”

"From the fact that you haven't even stuttered once, while we're behaving like shoujo protagonists talking to their crush, mister perfection."

It was all that it took to make Nanami laugh. She began giggling under her breath, and they all joined her soon.

***

"Man, it was unexpected to see Nanami lose her cool," Souda sighed during their lunch break in the cafe.

"I'm sorry..."

"Nothing to be sorry for." He grinned. "You're the heroine. It's a lot of pressure."

"Souda's right. I'm nervous even though I'm playing a supporting character," Pekoyama said. "Here, Fuyuhiko, I was supposed to give it to you..."

She handed him a lunchbox wrapped in a handkerchief and he took it with a quiet 'thanks'.

"Woah, a handmade lunch?! Is it Pekoyama-san's cooking?!" Hanamura yelled. "Kuzuryuu-kun, you..."

"Shut up!" Kuzuryuu smacked him on the head. "It's not like this!"

"He's lucky that Mioda-san isn't here..." Komaeda whispered, and Hinata laughed warmly.

"It didn't took you much time to figure her out."

"Then how is it, Kuzuryuu? Tell us!" Souda teased.

"It's all my sister's fault!" He exclaimed. "She's set on making me lunch every single day, but she can't cook for shit, so she forced Peko to help her!"

"So you have a sister?" Mitarai asked. "Is she as angry as you?"

"Pretty much," Pekoyama stated.

"Peko, you're not helping!"

"It's just the truth... You're twins after all."

"Seriously? Bring her over some time," Souda suggested. "I bet you're really similar..."

"There's no way in hell I would do it," Kuzuryuu hissed. "It would be a disaster."

"We have Mioda and Saionji in the cast, tell me more about disasters."

"Speaking of them... Where are they?" Komaeda asked. He didn't talk much during the break, probably still a bit uncomfortable around Souda, even though they both behaved as if nothing happened.

"Right. Aside from Peko and Nanami, all the girls have disappeared..." Kuzuryuu said.

"Tanaka and Nidai also aren't here," Hinata noticed.

"They went somewhere together... I think Mioda-san had something to do and asked the girls if they wanted to come too, then Sonia-san asked Tanaka-kun, and Nidai-kun just tagged along with Owari-san..." Nanami said. When they weren't looking she and Komaeda started sharing with each other some donuts they've bought.

"Mioda..."

"...had something to do?"

"And she took Sonia and Tanaka with her?"

"It's not going to end up well..."

"Well, it's Mioda, so we'll going to figure it out soon. She’s not that kind of person that can keep something a secret." Hinata shrugged. "Whatever's on her mind, it has something to do with one of us, so be prepared."

“Why are you already making some conspiracy theory?” Kuzuryuu asked.

“Because I know her. In middle school she kept disappearing like that for a week, and then I learned that the Light Music Club got disbanded because someone had been putting pictures of Nicholas Cage all over their clubroom, everyday, for about a week. These girls got too scared to withstand it.”

“What the…”

“Did you even try to stop her, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda furrowed his brows.

“Not really. How I was supposed to know what she needed all these photos of Nicholas Cage for?” He said. “And the members of that club were actually pretty mean, so I left Mioda and her plans alone.”

“You’re both crazy…” Souda concluded, while Komaeda and Nanami started giggling in the background.

“Hey, I’m innocent, okay? I’m not even her accomplice!”

“Well, since she took the girls with her, I’m pretty sure she would have a new accomplice by now,” Kuzuryuu stated. “Let’s just wait and see.”

***

The whole missing group has returned after like half an hour, but nothing really happened. Mioda just happily exclaimed that they went shopping… Though nobody had the courage to ask what they’ve bought. Everyone just kind of accepted that something is going to happen, and the only question was “when”.

The rest of the day went rather peacefully, with him and Komaeda practicing the introductions with the others. It was actually going pretty smoothly – it turned out that Tsumiki was a really good actor despite normally being shy, and by the end of the day Nanami was also able to go through her scene without the script. The biggest problem was Mioda – they were too used to each other, and they didn’t treat each other like actors since middle school, so they kept failing.

“I’m beat,” Hinata sighed, leaning on the table in the dressing room after he already took a shower. “But I don’t even feel bad about it. It’s weird. It’s the second day in a row I’m completely exhausted and yet… I’m actually beginning to like it.”

“I guess it’s more fun that just sitting at home,” Komaeda replied, sounding even more tired than Hinata. Or maybe he was still feeling down after what happened this morning…

“You okay?” Hinata asked on a whim, surprising even himself with how warm and concerned his voice sounded. “It’s just… You seem to get tired more easily than me.”

“I’m fine.” He smiled. “Just… not exactly the most social person. Working in such a big group is… kind of new to me.”

“You sure that’s all? Don’t overwork yourself…”

“Why are you so concerned about me?” Komaeda looked at him with disbelief. Hinata closed his eyes to escape that look, not even knowing what was the reason for doing that.

“I wonder why…”

A moment of silence fell between them. Well, that was awkward…

“Want to stay longer today too?” Hinata asked finally. He really wanted Komaeda to say ‘yes’, but…

“Sorry. I don’t really feel like staying here any longer…” He muttered.

Hinata tried to hide his disappointment. “It’s fine. You don’t have to spend all your free time with me…”

“It’s not about you,” Komaeda replied instantly. “I just… “

“I understand, so don’t worry,” Hinata said. He couldn’t tell him that he even brought a spare game console with him this time. “Maybe some other time… right?”

Komaeda gave him a small smile. “Of course.”

That’s when they heard someone’s raised voices from the corridor. They looked at each other, at first confused, then both of them realized what it could mean. Hinata instantly opened the door and stuck his head out of the room, then Komaeda followed him.

“I know it was you, Mioda, come out of the room or I’m going to pick the lock!” Souda yelled angrily, standing near the opened door to his dressing room, while Kuzuryuu was laughing his ass off somewhere inside.

“What happened…?” Hinata asked cautiously.

“Just look what she did! I’m going to kill her!” He shouted, pointing at his hair. Now it wasn’t only pink, but also blue, green… These colors were also all over his clothes.

“Did you hear, Mioda!? There’s another person that wants you dead!” He called out to her, while Komaeda left the room and walked up to Souda.

“Is it… chalk dust?” He asked, his face suggesting that he doesn’t know if laughing is acceptable.

“That idiot put it into the hairdryer!”

The door to Nanami’s and Mioda’s dressing room slowly opened, letting the latter stick her head out too. And, on the occasion, her hand with a phone in it. She wouldn’t miss an opportunity to take a photo. “Ibuki heard about this morning. This is a revenge for Nagito-chan.”

“You’re dead.” Souda said in a deadpan voice.

“Ibuki’s not going to be killed off so easily. My city now… Hey, Kazuichi-chan is being serious?!” The girl panicked as her victim moved towards her. She instantly ran out of the room and turned in the direction of the exit of the hallway. “Save me, Chisa-chan!”

“You’re not going to get away with this, Mioda!”

And then they simply disappeared from their sight, as they stood there, completely dumbfounded.

“Your middle-school life must’ve been fun, Hinata-kun,” Nanami commented, appearing in the doorway.

“Did you even try to stop her?” He asked.

“Not really. How I was supposed to know what she needed that chalk dust for?” She replied. “And what Souda-kun said was actually pretty mean, so…”

She didn’t even get to finish her parody of Hinata when Komaeda simply dissolved into the most genuine laughter they ever heard from him.

And… Hinata found himself grateful to Mioda, because it was really, really endearing.

“You’re… all crazy…” Komaeda muttered, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes away.

“Maybe. But I don’t even think it’s a bad thing anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one day I'll probably write a full chapter about Hinata's and Ibuki's middle school backstory
> 
> As always, thank you for staying with this story!  
> I also want you to check out this (http://kuri-s.tumblr.com/post/150791009644/well-since-i-dont-like-how-they-forgot-komaeda) wonderful artwork inspired by this fic! I was really excited about it so I kind of want everyone to see it, haha


	9. Another step closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me ramble about the DR3 ending for a bit, I'm too emotional to not say anything.   
> When I dropped the anime I came up with a list of things that would make me finish watching it. There were three of them. First - Kirigiri turns out to be alive. Second - Komaeda awakens from his coma. Third - the Naegi siblings reunite.  
> So, guess who's watching this goddamn anime right now.
> 
> It was a wild, three-months long ride. You know, I've joined this fandom about three years ago, but it was actually my first time being here on time for the hype. First time getting all excited when the new characters were introduced, and first time crying over them with everyone. First time observing all the wars in the fandom, and all the memes we were using to cope. Sometimes I was getting tired of all this discourse, but overall... I had a lot of fun. Damn, I'm getting emotional here.
> 
> About the ending itself... I already saw people complaining about it being unrealistic and cliche, and also the theories about it being Ryota's hope video... But I'm honestly in love with it. You could try prying it away from my cold, dead hands, but I still wouldn't give it back. It's the perfect, happy ending I've been wishing for during the three years I've been in this fandom, and I don't care if it's cliche, I'm crying happy tears now. The characters I love are happy and alive. My ships are sailing again. Hope won in the end, and that's what I've been waiting for, so I couldn't be happier. Now we can believe in every happy headcanon we can come up with.   
> DR3 was far from perfect (what was even the Despair arc), but the Hope arc made me feel alive. I'm sad that the Danganronpa as we know it is basically over, but I'm really grateful to Kodaka that he decided to end it like this.
> 
> That's all I wanted to say. Have a beach chapter, because there's no way I would miss an opportunity to write one.

About a week later they were made sure that Yukizome really wasn’t joking about taking them to the beach to record some of the scenes. She actually hired a bus and took them there.

“It kind of feels like going on a trip,” she commented from her seat. Considering that all the technicians were using vans, and it was only the sixteen of them and her as the supervisor in the bus, it pretty much felt like it…

“More like the school trip of mutual killing…” Hanamura said.

“Don’t tell me… you’re taking us there to make us kill each other?!” Souda tried imitating Suzuki’s tone from the prologue, what turned out more like a parody.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m the real mastermind here, you’ve figured me out,” she laughed. “Though I hope we can settle for the Island Mode.”

“Sounds good enough for me,” Hinata stated, watching Komaeda, who took the seat next to him. He kind of overslept again, and even now still seemed half asleep, letting his messy, brown hair cover his face. Pretty adorable. Hinata kind of wanted to brush his fingers though Komaeda’s hair to check if it was really as fluffy as it looked like, but that would be…

Even thinking of that was embarrassing. He wasn’t ready to admit it even before himself.

When he turned to the other side he noticed that Nanami was in even worse state, sleeping soundly with her head on Tsumiki’s shoulder. Was he the only one awake from their trio…?

“Guys, where’s Sonia-san and Tanaka?” Souda asked. “We left without them, so…”

“They’re going to be waiting for us at our destination. They live in the neighborhood, so it wasn’t necessary for them to come here today,” Yukizome said. “I asked Mitarai-kun and Owari-san to take their costumes too.”

“Don’t worry, I have it here!” Said girl exclaimed, pointing at the box she put on the shelf above their heads.

“Right! I’ll get to see so many of you in swimsuits, what a blessing!” Hanamura said, earning a snort from Saionji.

“What a creep.”

“But… Sonia-san in a swimsuit…”

“Gross, Kazuichi-chan. Sonia-chan is already taken.”

Then Yukizome spoke up again. “We’ve actually prepared swimsuits for everyone, even those who play characters that didn’t decide to swim, so you can all have fun in the sea. We’ll take a longer break today.”

“Now it really seems like a trip!” Nidai stated.

"Yaaasss, Ibuki doesn't have anything against some fanservice!"

"You're just as terrible as me," Souda sighed. "By the way, Koizumi, what are you doing?"

"Homework."

"Eh?! You've got to be kidding me!" Kuzuryuu leaned over her seat.

"What, do you have any problems with that?!" She replied in annoyed tone. "The summer break isn't all that long, and we're constantly busy anyway!"

"But we're going to be skipping classes after the summer break a lot..." Pekoyama said.

"Maybe that's it in Kuzuryuu's case, but my character dies in the middle of chapter two. If I'm going to be free soon anyway, then I don't want to stay behind in studying," Koizumi explained. "I wish the survivors luck on catching up."

"I just hope they won't hold me back a year, aside from that I'm fine with anything," Owari stated casually.

“Ibuki already knows that she’ll have to ask Hajime-chan for help…” Mioda sighed. “It always ends like this."

“Huh? Why him?” Saionji asked.

“Because even though he may not look like it, Hajime-chan is really, really smart!” She sent a grin in his direction. “You know, that kind of smart that doesn’t even try, but still is above average!”

“Can we stop talking about school and my level of intelligence? I want to enjoy my free time.”

“Just don’t tell me later that I didn’t warn you,” Koizumi said.

“I’m sure you’ll all manage,” Yukizome commented with a smile. “After the summer break ends, don’t be afraid to tell me when there will be a day you’ll have to skip because you need to be at school.”

“I can’t believe it’s all so easy…” Kuzuryuu muttered. “I was sure you’re going to be stricter with us.”

“You want me to?”

“Hell no!”

***

“We want to show you something.”

That was the first thing Sonia told them after they met up with her and Tanaka. The only person that didn’t seem surprised was of course Yukizome.

While the blonde girl led them somewhere, Hinata noticed that quite a lot of people were observing them. It made him slightly uncomfortable…

“Hey, Komaeda. Do you think they want to watch us while we’re filming?” He asked the boy next to him. Asking Nanami wouldn’t have any sense, as she still didn’t look any more awake, even though she was certainly walking a little behind them.

“I don’t think Yukizome-san would allow it…” He replied hesitantly. “You know how much she tries to make everything easier for us.”

“Yeah, I know…” Hinata breathed out in relief. “I’m glad she’s the one taking care of everything.”

They finally reached a gate leading to a building that seemed to be… a hotel? He wasn’t sure, but it couldn’t really be anything else. He could tell that the rest of the group was also confused.

“What are we doing here, Chisa-chan?” Mioda finally asked, catching up to the women in front.

“Allow me to explain!” She turned to them. “But first, look around. Doesn’t this place remind you of anything?”

Well, now, when she mentioned it… The main building didn’t seem all that big, but there was a lot of smaller ones nearby, all of them surrounded by water – the only path leading to them were those short bridges that actually looked familiar. In front of the main building they could see a pool.

“No way…” He muttered to himself.

“It doesn’t look exactly the same, but it’s the closest to the real thing that we can have,” Yukizome stated happily. “We’re going to record some of the scenes here. Also, this hotel has a private beach, so you don’t have to worry about someone disturbing our work.”

“Just how the hell did you find something like this?!” Kuzuryuu yelled. “And how much you had to pay the owners for letting us use this place?!”

“Actually, not that much.”

“Don’t lie, I’m sure the budget have suffered because of this!”

Yukizome again smiled in a way that meant ‘don’t ask stupid questions’. “Our budget is fine, don’t worry about it, Kuzuryuu-kun.”

“But…”

“I said that our budget is fine,” she said with more emphasis, what in combination with her innocent expression sounded almost scary.

"Calm down, Kuzuryuu-san," Sonia interrupted them with a smile. "Actually, my parents own this hotel, so the budget is not a problem."

"What?!"

"How rich are you!?"

"So, as you can see, it's thanks to Sonia-san that we can use this place, not me. She helped me negotiating," Yukizome added.

"It is nothing." She waved her hand. "I just want us to do our best."

"Does anyone else think she's a goddess?" Souda muttered.

“I do,” Tanaka said, blushing and looking away.

“Why did I even ask…”

“I think you should go with another route, Souda-kun. This one isn’t unlocked…”

"Oh, Nanami woke up," Hinata noted, pinching her cheek.

"Okay kids, let's get to work! The sooner we're done with it, the more time we can spend playing!" Yukizome exclaimed with determination, directing her steps towards the main building.

"I don't think that's a thing you should be saying..." Koizumi sighed, though she followed her anyway, just like the others.

Except for Komaeda, who stayed a little behind and stared at the sea absent-mindedly.

"Everything's fine?" Hinata asked him without thinking much. Komaeda just had those moments when he seemed to be overthinking something, and he was slowly getting used to snapping him out of it.

"Hmm?" He hummed, turning to him. "Oh, of course. Sorry for spacing out."

"What were you thinking about this time?"

"Just the weather." Komaeda shook his head. "It's probably going to be really hot today."

"You came up with that just now," Hinata stated. Getting him to tell him his real thoughts wouldn't be this easy.

"You know, Hinata-kun?" This time Komaeda smiled widely. "Even though we live so close to the sea, it’s been a while since I’ve last been here.  I think it was… three years ago? Or maybe even four? It feels kind of refreshing.”

“Huh…? Four years…? How is that even possible?” Hinata furrowed his brows in surprise.

“Things happened,” Komaeda said mysteriously, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t really like the way you phrased it…”

Komaeda laughed at his skeptical face. “Sorry. It seems that almost everything I say sounds rather negative. It must be annoying.”

“I’m getting used to it,” Hinata sighed. “Though if you really haven’t been by the sea for so many years… We have to somehow make up for this.”

“I don’t know…” Komaeda muttered. “I can’t even swim. I would probably trip over something and drown.”

“I swear to god, Komaeda, even if I’ll have to lead you by the hand, you’re not going to spend this time sitting somewhere all by yourself.”

For a moment they both fell silent and were simply staring at each other, proceeding Hinata’s words.

“Did you just…” Komaeda started, but Hinata cut him off in panic, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks.

“I didn’t! Whatever you wanted to say, I didn’t!” He turned back to the group, which was already pretty far from them. “Let’s go or they’re going to leave us here!”

He wasn’t sure, but there was a very real possibility that Komaeda laughed at him behind his back.

***

They decided to take care of the introductions first. Some of them could be recorded in the studio, but Yokohama met Suzuki on the beach, then Shiina, Chikura and Kawashima next to the hotel, and the Impostor in the park, so these scenes had to be filmed today.

He and Komaeda had the first scene mastered to perfection, so aside from Mioda loudly whispering ‘gay’ in the background and getting him all flustered, everything went smoothly. Yukizome said that they’ll cut it out, but Hinata didn’t really believe her. Her kindness aside, she loved to tease them.

“I’m not an expert on photography, but I heard she’s a young photographer who has won numerous awards,” Komaeda, like always, perfectly performed his lines while they were recording the introduction of Koizumi’s character. “On that note… she’s known for her skill at taking pictures of people.”

Then there was a pause, when Hinata knew all the cameras were focused on him. Of course, his internal monologues… He was fine with it already, but some of the other actors sometimes were forgetting about it. Koizumi wasn’t one of them though. She happened to stutter once or twice due to stress, but she never forgot anything. She really was one of the most level-headed people here.

“Honestly, I’m a little relieved. You guys seem decent enough,” she sighed emphatically.

“…hm? Decent?”

“Well, there’s a lot of weirdos here,” Koizumi let out an awkward laugh. “I can’t tell if they’re really Super High School Level students, or, like, just insane…”

Hinata thought that it was pretty accurate for them too. He almost laughed, forgetting that they were recording, but in the end he managed to stop himself.

“I’m eager to get along with everyone so we can get off this island, but I was worried things wouldn’t go well…”

 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve already made a mental note to remember you as “Unreliable Yokohama,” Koizumi said with a rebuking glance. “It’s gonna be tough for you to change my mind. You better man up and try even harder to do your best!”

Komaeda laughed, sounding more as if he was actually making fun of him rather than acting. “I see you’re whipped already, Yokohama-kun.”

“I’m talking to both of you!” She poked his shoulder. “You better man up and do better! Got it!?”

“R-right, I’ll try to…” Hinata said, and Komaeda only nodded, as they slowly backed out and moved towards the entrance of the main building.

"Okay, I think we have it!" Yukizome exclaimed, gesturing something to the technicians. "Good work, you three!"

The two of them turned back and joined Koizumi again. The red haired girl bowed to them slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work!" She said, smiling at them. She always seemed so serious, so seeing her smile like this was nice. "You guys are really good," she added. "Have you ever thought about becoming professionals in the future?"

"I haven't, to be honest..." Komaeda said.

"That's not really something I wish for my future," Hinata stated. "I didn't even plan on playing in this show."

"What a waste," Koizumi sighed. "But I guess we still have time to decide who we want to become. Maybe something will change your mind."

"Okay, we're heading back to the beach!" Yukizome shouted. "We're going to complete the classroom scene, then move onto Monomi's surprise and Monokuma's first appearance. Here, Komaeda-kun." She came closer and with a smile handed the boy a bottle of water. "You need to drink a lot. It's hot today, and you have to stay in these warm clothes... For the rest of you we have water on the beach."

"Thank you, Yukizome-san," Komaeda said.

She was so easy to love. Hinata never expected their supervisor to be so cheerful, so kind and so patient with them. In the beginning he thought she was like a teacher, but it wasn't entirely true. She cared about them too much for that. Yukizome seemed more like...

A mother.

He shook his head to chase off these thoughts. She was too young to be called a mother. Also what the hell. He has known her for like three weeks.

Though, with no doubts, he was spending more time with her than with his own mom.

"The others should be already waiting for us there," she said. "They were watching you almost the whole time, but I told them to head back about five minutes ago. Koizumi-san, both Tsumiki-san and Saionji-san were cheering on you."

The red-haired girl blushed slightly at these words. Hinata learned that her friends’ opinion was really important to her. "A-anyway, let's go!"

***

Recording scenes with Monomi was incomparably harder than in studio, since they couldn’t use the projector in here and the only thing reminding them of her was her voice coming from the speakers. Remembering where they were supposed to look while talking to her was… troubling at least. Even while in the drama club Hinata never had to do anything like this, so filming on the beach was probably one of the hardest thing so far…

Though watching Mioda slip on the sand while running to the hotel was quite funny, he had to admit. Seeing her spitting the sand and desperately brushing it off her clothes was even funnier. They had to repeat that scene, but he regretted nothing.

They also had to do it after Komaeda actually did the same thing, but it was a different case. Laughing at Komaeda somehow seemed more cruel.

To their surprise, the kids playing characters that decided to swim were allowed to do whatever they wanted, as long as they said their lines. That resulted in Mioda running into Komaeda while chasing after Souda, and Tsumiki nearly drowning after she lost her balance in the water. Just as usual, it was a complete chaos, but… the chaos probably suited them the best.

“It’s best if… we go, too…” Nanami muttered after Monokuma’s announcement. If Hinata didn’t know the character well, he would say that her acting skills were still far from impressive, as everything about her lacked power, but… That’s pretty much what she had to do. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not didn’t really matter. “Jabberwock park, was it? Let’s hurry…”

“H-hey, wait!” Owari ran after her, as she moved to leave the camera range.

“But what about everyone who’s swimming?” Hinata pointed at them.

“There’s no time to wait for them to change. I have a bad feeling about it,” Mitarai recited his line, then followed the girls. “I’ll head over first.”

Next Kuzuryuu did the same, then Saionji, leaving him alone. Hinata turned to the sea, giving it one last glance, then ran after them, ending the scene.

“We have it!” Yukizome shouted, waving at the camera people once again today.

“Finally…” Hinata sighed in relief.

“Listen man, this is not our fault that you were mixing up some of your lines and timing,” Kuzuryuu commented.

“Well, excuse me, it’s not me who actually decided to go swimming, despite his character being one of those staying on the beach,” he snorted, remembering Kuzuryuu’s mistake.

“Shut up, Hinata! I just had enough of this goddamn suit! It’s fucking hot!”

“Come on, don’t fight.” Yukizome forced both of them to accept a bottle of water from her. “I know it’s hot, but isn’t it good for those that had to go in the water? Anyway, you can go and change too. We’re having a break now.”

“Oh thanks god,” Kuzuryuu muttered, instantly taking off his jacket.

Hinata looked around to notice the rest of the group leaving the water and walking up to them. Somewhere along the way Komaeda grabbed his t-shirt and put it on, leaving him in this weird, confusing state between disappointment and relief.

He found himself not being able understand his own reactions anymore. What the hell.

“Before you go, could you come with me for a moment, Hinata-kun?” Yukizome asked him. “I have to give you something.”

“Sure.” Hinata looked at the others, who were already coming up with ideas what they could do now, then followed her. He’ll join them later.

***

"Here, Yukizome-san told me to give it to you," Hinata said, handing an envelope to both Komaeda and Nanami. It seemed that they were some of the few people that didn't go swimming or playing water volleyball while he was talking to Yukizome. When he looked around he also noticed Koizumi, still working on her homework, though she had the swimsuit on. Maybe she hoped to finish it soon and join them.

Well, Nanami also had changed, but it didn't look like she was going to swim. She and Komaeda were sitting on a blanket on the sand, under a parasol - Nanami holding her phone, and Komaeda just watching the noisy teenagers running around.

"What is this?" He asked, taking the envelope. Nanami didn't even bother herself, still doing something on her phone.

"An updated version of the script. Open it and you'll understand."

Komaeda immediately tore the envelope open and pulled the script out. His eyes widened as he flicked through it.

"No way..."

"Hmm?" Nanami hummed. "Is it something important?"

"We're doing the free time events, Nanami-san," Komaeda replied. Hinata couldn't tell whether he was pleased with that fact or not.

"Huh? No way..." she muttered, finally putting her phone away and reaching for her own version. After like a minute she looked up from the papers and smiled at them. "I'm glad. I love these characters, so... It's a good decision… I think," she said. “I want everyone to understand them better...”

Komaeda didn't look convinced though. Hinata couldn't see on which page he opened the script, but he seemed... hesitant?

"Anyway, why are you sitting here?" Hinata asked. "Everyone is making use of the free time. Though I'm a little worried, I don't see Mioda anywhere..."

"Mioda-san went with Sonia-san and Tanaka-kun to visit the dogs," Nanami explained, picking the phone up again. "I think they'll return soon..."

"They're lucky to live in such a place..." Hinata sighed, finally sitting down next to her and glancing at the screen of her device. "Don't tell me you're naming your pokemons after Danganronpa characters..."

"…I am."

"Oh god. So, which one is Nana?"

Nanami pointed at some pink creature. "This one. Normally it’s called Slowpoke."

"Pretty accurate," Hinata laughed. "But come on, let's play with the others..."

"I can't. I'm a pokemon trainer." Nanami refused right away.

"Did you catch any today?" Komaeda asked.

"Four... but all of them were Magikarps..."

"Isn't that..."

"Yeah... That pathetic excuse for a pokemon..." She nodded. "No luck today..."

"Maybe it's my luck's fault..." Komaeda gave them a half-hearted laugh.

"So you're both going to just sit here the whole time? Boring..."

"I have to become the very best. Like no one ever was, Hinata-kun."

"You're terrible," he snorted with laughter, coming to a conclusion that trying to convince her any further would be useless. "Now I can only count on you, Komaeda."

"Huh? Me?" The other boy pointed at himself.

"Yhm. I promised you you're not going to waste the time here." Hinata stood up, passed Nanami and stopped in front of him, extending his hand to him. “Come on.”

"I would prefer not to..." He muttered, but Hinata took his hand and pulled him up. At first he thought Komaeda was going to shake him off, but he didn't. "H-Hinata-kun?"

"Sorry, but I don't accept a 'no'." He tried leading the protesting boy towards the water.

"But I still have the t-shirt on...?"

"You can keep it on. We're not going to swim, don't worry, I remember that you can't do it," he said. He could tell that Komaeda wasn't completely honest with him - his protest were only externals. He was sure of it after Komaeda closed his fingers around his own and actually let him pull himself along.

It was like holding hands, Hinata thought, considering letting go of him, but...

They strangely fit together. It felt natural, or at least much less awkward than he would've expected it to feel.

"You sure you're staying here, Nanami? You can take your phone, you know. We wouldn't splash water on you or anything," he called out to the girl still sitting on the blanket. He already knew the answer, but he had to distract himself from focusing on their joined hands. _You can't catch me, gay thoughts._

"I don't want to take the risk... Have fun, Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun." Nanami waved at them, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Whatever," he sighed. "You can join us if you feel like it."

"Yhm..."

Well, so much for a distraction. The longer he was holding Komaeda’s hand, the more heat rushing to his cheeks he felt. Hinata could only hope that he didn't notice it.

"See? Nothing's going to happen only because you're knee-deep in the water," he said when they finally reached the sea.

"You can't know it for sure..." Komaeda replied, still led by him by the hand. He was looking down, as if watching every step.

"And you should learn some positive thinking from Nanami. Though I'm not the one to talk..." Hinata sighed. "In the beginning I was sure this whole filming thing is going to be a disaster..."

"But it's not, right? You're a great actor, and you had no problems making friends with everyone... You just fit in here.”

“You’re not so different from me, Komaeda,” he stated firmly, earning a surprised look. “Yukizome-san tells it all the time – you’re one of the best actors among us. And it’s not that you don’t get along with us. If I didn’t like you I wouldn’t be here right now. I also know that both Mioda and Nanami like you much more than you think. You just need to believe it, you dumbass.”

“…I’ll try to,” he replied, this time to Hinata’s surprise. _It was too easy_. Komaeda probably noticed it, since he laughed slightly. “I guess this atmosphere got to me too. It really feels like a school trip pulled out of some comedy anime.”

“I wouldn’t really mind having all of you as my classmates,” Hinata stated. “Both me and Mioda were never exactly close to the rest of our class, but right now, with you… we’re having fun.”

“Going to school with you… could be interesting,” Komaeda giggled.

“Right, you never told me anything about your school,” Hinata realized. “Are you going to the same high school as Naegi?”

The other boy fell silent after his question, strengthening the grip on his hand. Hinata instantly understood that something was wrong, but he couldn’t read anything from his face. He could only hope Komaeda would answer.

And he did. He looked like he didn’t want to, but he did.

“I don’t really… go to school anywhere,” he said quietly, his smile clearly forced. “I’m studying at home.”

“Huh? Why?” Hinata asked unwillingly before he could stop himself.

“There’s no real reason.” Komaeda shrugged his shoulders. “I’m generally not good with noisy places… and… I also got into some conflicts with people at the middle school I was going to… So I decided not to go to high school. I’m better off this way.”

“How can you be better off this way?” Hinata could hear the concern in his own voice. “I mean… Isn’t it hard to study on your own? And isn’t it lonely, not having classmates and all?”

“No, it’s really fine.” Komaeda smiled again, this time more naturally. “I’m actually doing better than before… and it’s not like I’m not interacting with people, Hinata-kun. I just don’t have to go the same building each day.”

“I don’t really know…” Hinata muttered. He wasn’t convinced at all. Though it didn’t seem like Komaeda was lying about being better off with not going to school... He sounded kind of relieved… How bad he must have felt in his previous school that he decided to quit it?

“But… I probably wouldn’t mind attending it again if I had a class like you,” he added. “I wonder why I am telling you this…”

“Because we’re friends. And I told you that I’ll listen if you have something that bothers you, right?” Hinata replied. He wanted to learn more about Komaeda. Even more than this. And he will get him to open up, even if takes a lot of time.

“Thank you. For being so patient with someone like me…”

“No need to thank me.”

That’s when something fell into the water next to them. Hinata turned to see the ball the others were playing with, floating close to his legs.

“Hey, guys, could you pass us the ball?” Owari shouted to them, pointing at it. “You’re closer than us!”

“Sure!” Hinata yelled back, letting go of Komaeda’s hand, with the intention of picking the ball up, but…

He didn’t even know which one of them lost balance and pulled the other down, but before he could react in any way they both were sitting in the water, completely drenched and surprised.

“And that’s why I didn’t want to get in the water with you.” Nanami raised her voice slightly from her place.  

“E-eh?” Komaeda uttered, moving a little away from Hinata. Somehow, they were ending up in a lot of situations like this… “Sorry, it’s probably my fault…”

He seemed genuinely sorry, and when the group started laughing in the background it turned even worse, but… Hinata couldn’t stop himself from laughing too.

“H…hahah!” He supported himself with his hands and just laughed, leaving Komaeda puzzled. “Super High School Level Good Luck, my ass!”

“Hinata-kun?”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, but seriously, has anything good even happened to you lately?”

“Yeah.” Komaeda smiled, despite the water dripping from his hair. “Yo…” He stopped in mid-sentence and shook his head. “Actually, a lot of good things have happened.”

“Hey, guys…” They heard Souda’s voice, so they turned to him. He looked hesitant, but… “Want to play with us? I’m sure nobody would mind two more people.”

There still was a lot of tension between him and Komaeda, so this question surprised both of them… Though at the same time it was a good occasion.

“Let’s try. It won’t hurt,” Hinata said, getting up.

“ I sure hope so,” the other boy laughed, but followed him.

***

“Can you tell me what are we even doing here?” A girl with long, gathered into two braids hair asked her friend, who has been watching a group of noisy teenagers from behind some bushes. Seriously, why did she even agree to go with her? She should’ve realized that she must’ve had something stupid on her mind again.

“I told you before, Fukawa-san,” she replied reproachfully. “We’re spying.”

Right. Her cousin was a part of that group of weirdos and she was worried about how is he doing. That’s why she dragged her along here. To check on him.

“But why do I have to be here too? I’m not even… friends with him.” She stumbled before saying the word ‘friend’. Of course she wasn’t friends with Nagito Komaeda. She had like… three good friends? Maybe four… Though from what she knew about him, he wasn’t really better than her.

“I just didn’t want to go alone,” Komaru admitted, laughing awkwardly. “You know that I feel much more confident when you’re with me, Fukawa-san.”

Oh. She remembered why she was there. She was just really weak to that ahoge gremlin and she agreed on her own free will.

“S-stop saying embarrassing things,” she muttered. “You could’ve taken Naegi with you…”

“You know that big brother spends most of his time with Kirigiri-san. I would feel bad, taking him away from his girlfriend…” Komaru furrower her brows. “Besides, you’re my best friend, so I don’t think I did anything bad…”

She was so insolent. But at the same so warm, so caring…

And she called Fukawa her best friend. She couldn’t help giggling to herself.

“Anyway, how’s that guy doing?” She asked, forcing herself to go back to reality. “That’s why we came here, right?”

Komaru stuck her head over the bushes once again to check on that fluffy weirdo. “Actually… probably better than me and big brother thought. Want to see?”

Fukawa sighed, then made her way to Komaru on her knees. Pretending that she’s watching was easier than having her talk about everything.

She spotted the right guy sitting on a blanket with a pink-haired girl and another boy. They must be the main trio this time… They chatted about something for a moment, but it was impossible to hear what they were talking about from their place. After a while the other guy… was his name Hinata or something like that? Anyway, he stood up, took Komaeda by the hand and pulled him towards the sea. They stayed like that even after they were already in the water, and actually seemed comfortable like this.

“So this is Hajime Hinata…” Komaru muttered. “Nagito talks about him a lot…”

“I smell a material for BL…” Fukawa stated. “Was your cousin always this gay?”

From this distance they looked pretty much like a couple, talking about something and smiling at each other. She wouldn’t really mind shipping them. She already was shipping their characters, so…

“E-eh?” Komaru gave her a surprised glance. “I don’t think so… or… I don’t really know? But he looks happy, so I don’t mind… He’s always wary of people, but now he seems…”

“Gay,” Fukawa concluded.

“Well, if you really want to put it that way…” The other girl scratched her cheek awkwardly. “I guess I can tell big brother that Nagito will be fine.”

“They seem like losers to me,” she stated when both of them fell into the water after losing their balance, and Komaru only nodded, probably embarrassed that she’s really related to one of them.

*** 

“So, why did you call me here?”

“Why do you always need a reason? You work in the neighborhood, and I knew that you have a break right now, so I invited you to drink some coffee with me, your friend.”

“Chisa, I don’t have time for that…”

“You have. You just don’t want to admit it, Juuzo.”

The young director, Chisa Yukizome, was sitting by a table in the hotel’s main building with one of her best friends, Juuzo Sakakura, and was clearly making fun of him. She loved to tease not only her teenage pupils, but also her own peers.

“Come on, don’t be like this. We’re friends for a reason, I know you like my company,” she laughed. “I’m sorry I’m not Kyousuke.”

“What he has to do with this?” He muttered, most likely embarrassed, taking a sip from his cup. “Anyway, how is your work going?”

“Actually really well!” She exclaimed happily. “They’re all such promising actors and wonderful children! Honestly, I love my job…”

“So you’re adopting another sixteen kids. Can’t wait for you forcing me and Kyousuke to meet them,” Juuzo sighed.

“I’m not forcing anyone,” she said. “The company you’re working at is one of the sponsors, and you represent it, so it’s only normal for you to meet them at least once.”

“You know I’m not good with kids.” He frowned. “I hope that I least the protagonist isn’t such a wimp this time.”

“Naegi-kun was only fifteen at that time…”

“It doesn’t change anything.”

“Glad to see that you’re the same old, forever angry Juuzo,” Chisa laughed, then she pulled her phone out of her dress’ pocket. “I have an idea! Let’s take a selfie and send it to Kyousuke to make him jealous!”

“Jealous of who?” He asked.

“Who knows?” She moved closer to him and took the photo before he could protest. “I hope that at least one of us.”

“H-hey, I didn’t agree to this!”

“But you also didn’t say no.” Chisa began scrolling through her contact list to find the right one.

“I still can’t believe that you have him saved under the name ‘Edgelord’.” Juuzo frowned once again.

“Oh, that was Fukawa-san’s idea. I found it too funny not to use it.”

“And you have me saved under ‘One Punch Man’…”

“This one was Asahina-san’s idea.”

“You really love all of them, don’t you?” He sighed again, only to make her laugh cheerfully.

“I do!” Chisa replied, finally sending the photo with a caption ‘ _you should regret that you’re too busy to meet us_ ’. She looked through the window to check on her group, but, to her surprise, she noticed someone who wasn’t supposed to be here. “Huh?”

“What is it now?”

“Wait a moment. I’ll be right back,” she said, getting up from her chair and leaving the building without another word. She made her way to the beach and approached the two girls sitting behind the bushes, some distance away from the place the kids were playing.

“Can I ask you what are you doing here?” She asked them warmly, startling them to the point one of them, the short-haired one, fell on her butt with a loud squeak.

“Yukizome-san!” Touko Fukawa muttered nervously. “I-It’s not my fault! It’s all her!”

“Eeh?! Why are you abandoning me, Fukawa-san?!” Komaru Naegi, a girl Chisa knew thanks to her older brother, said.

“Because I did nothing wrong!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong too!”

“I just asked you why are you here…” Chisa laughed slightly. “Someone had to let you in, without that there’s no way of entering this place.”

“Ah, that fair-haired princess let us in,” Fukawa explained.

“Yhm, after we told her who we are she said that there’s no problem,” Komaru added.

“I’m not sure Komaeda-kun would think the same way…” Chisa suggested, making both girls look away awkwardly. “If you want to visit us, do it openly.”

“It just… doesn’t feel the same way as visiting big brother,” Komaru laughed half-heartedly. “So please, don’t tell Nagito?”

“Fine, but despite all, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“See? I told you that it wasn’t a good idea,” Fukawa snarked, got to her feet and shook the sand off her skirt. “We’re going back, Omaru.”

“Okay…” She sighed and followed her friend. “We’ll visit you normally some time. Bye bye, Yukizome-san!”

“I’ll be waiting.” Chisa giggled and waved at them.

She really loved this job.

***

“I don’t know who in the world is orchestrating this, but… We don’t need to be cautious of those machines, or even of whoever’s controlling them…” Mitarai recited these lines in a low voice. “More than anything, we must be cautious of… Ourselves.”

His words, resounding in the silence surrounding the park they were in, actually sent chills down Hinata’s spine.

“Being brought to a tropical island with complete strangers, and ordered to kill each other to escape… That creates fear in our minds, and the desire to escape that hopeless fear… is our worst enemy.”

All of them looked around in complete silence with serious expressions. The air around them seemed unexpectedly heavy for people that were only acting.

After a moment of nervous looks Yukizome finally waved her hand to the technicians and came closes. “That’s all for today! It was hard by the end, but you did great!”

The group breathed in relief, relaxing after some hours of this murderous work.

“Acting without the projections was harder than I thought…” Pekoyama said.

“Yeah… I’m glad we’re doing most of the recording in the studio…” Kuzuryuu nodded. “I had no idea where should I look.”

“Most of us had no idea,” Koizumi spoke up. “If we had, we wouldn’t have to repeat it so many times. Even after practicing so much at the building…”

“But in the end you managed to do it, so don’t worry,” Yukizome said. “You did a fantastic job. It’s getting pretty late though, so we’ll have to hurry with getting ready to go back.”

“I’m sleepy…” Nanami muttered, rubbing one of her eyes and yawning. She slowly approached Hinata and Komaeda.

“Look who’s saying. The only person that didn’t go swimming,” Hinata commented, pinching her cheek again. “Even Komaeda gave up and agreed to play with us.”

“And now I’m barely keeping myself awake…” He said in a tired voice. “I’m not good with physical effort…”

“But you looked like you were having fun,” Nanami pointed out.

“Well… I had fun,” Komaeda admitted. “More that I thought I would.”

“Hey, green trio, come on or we’ll leave you here!” Souda called out to them. “Man, you’re always staying behind…”

“You would stay behind too if your group consisted of a constantly sleepy girl and an easily tired guy…” Hinata sighed before following the rest.

 

This time they got the backseats in the bus, so he ended up as the one in the middle. It seemed like some unwritten agreement, him between Nanami and Komaeda.

"So," Yukizome started. She was probably the only lively person left. "The material we've recorded so far will be probably split into two episodes. And...we're officially done with recording the prologue! Thank you for your hard work!"

"It's only the prologue," Kuzuryuu muttered in a tired voice. "We've got six more chapters to go..."

"Good," Owari said. "If it goes like this, then I don’t have anything against. It’s like, the summer of my life, you know.”

“Same for me,” Souda added. “Today was fun, playing with you, guys.”

“Though Komaeda can’t play volleyball for shit,” Kuzuryuu laughed.

“Sorry…” He muttered in a sleepy voice.

“Don’t apologize,” Nidai said. “We still have time to train you! Right, Owari?”

“Of course, old man!”

Hinata could swear that for a moment Komaeda looked utterly terrified, but that look quickly disappeared, making place for exhaustion.

“I’m not really sure if your training would help him or kill him,” Saionji snarked.

“Whaddaya mean?!”

While listening to them, Hinata began looking to the right, then to the left and back to the right, wondering which one of his friends will fall asleep first. Maybe Nanami… Komaeda seemed to be fighting his sleepiness, but Nanami only tried to make herself comfortable on her seat.

“I’ll send you something later, Hinata-kun,” she muttered suddenly.

“Hmm? What is this?”

“You’ll see.” She smiled. “Did you have fun today?”

“Probably more than you.”

“I had a lot of fun watching you all. Next time I’ll join you,” Nanami said.

That’s when he felt some weight on his shoulder, and also something soft tickling the skin on his arm. He carefully turned his head to see that Komaeda actually fell asleep first and unconsciously leaned on his shoulder, looking more peaceful and innocent than ever.

Hinata practically froze, trying not to move in order not to wake him up. He was pretty much ready to stare at him the whole way back, just because he looked so damn adorable.

If he didn’t realize that before, he just had to do it now.

He had a massive crush on Nagito Komaeda, the awkward, yet cute boy he still knew so little about.

***

_You have a message from: Nagito Komaeda_

Thanks for today! I had a lot of fun. Sorry for falling asleep on you though ;-;

 

_You have a message from: Ibuki Mioda_

Ibuki wishes you the bestest luck with Nagito-chan! Though she doubts Hajime-chan is going to admit his feelings any time soon, hahah  ╮(─▽─)╭

_You have a message from: Chiaki Nanami_

I took this pic today and I found it cute so I'm sending it to both of you

_1 attachment: hinata-kun-and-komaeda-kun-holding-hands.jpg_

_  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only thing I'm sad about now is the 74th class trio, so I just had to at least mention all of them being alright 
> 
> anyway, is this still cute or have I crossed the line and it's just lame now


	10. A matter of extending a hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that DR3 has ended, I can't leave my little comments about it at the beginning anymore... I can't say that I'm not a bit sad about it. 
> 
> In today's chapter: Nanami's and Komaeda's problems at bonding with people and Hinata trying to help them.

“Why are you sighing so much?” Hinata asked Hanamura after he let out an another, pained sigh. Part of the group, including them, was sitting on the floor in the hotel restaurant and waiting for the other to gather after changing into their costumes.

“Well, Hinata-kun, to be honest, I’m just sad that the first chapter is the only one I appear in,” he replied, then sighed once again. “You and Nanami-san have it good…”

“…Hanamura-kun, we both end up executed though,” she muttered, holding yet another console in her hands. Hinata wondered how many of them she actually had.

“Was that an attempt of a joke? Because that was a horrible joke, Nanami,” Kuzuryuu commented.

“Well, I end up executed too,” Pekoyama reminded him.

“We don’t talk about this. I’m still not ready to go through this shit,” he sighed.

“But… Hanamura is right,” Hinata said. “I feel a little bad for him and Mitarai, since they get so little screen time.”

“It’s not even about screen time,” Mitarai replied. “It just feels… that we’ll be unnecessary later…”

“That’s not true… I think,” Nanami interrupter him hesitantly. “Remember what Yukizome-san said, right?”

“True, we can still come here… But do we have a reason? I don’t think we’re that close yet,” he said, making Nanami’s confidence falter even further.

“Speaking of being close… Hinata, Nanami, where have you lost the third one? Usually you come as a set," Owari pointed out. She and Sonia were the only ones sitting by the table, though the latter behaved like a true princess, sitting with her legs crossed, and the former didn't bother herself to check (to Hanamura's delight) if her underwear wasn't visible.

"It takes more time for him to get ready," Hinata said. "He looks pretty different from Suzuki, you know."

"True enough," she shrugged.

"Why are you asking?"

"Because that guy only hangs out with us when you and Nanami are around," she replied. "I never know whether he's shy or just doesn't like us."

"It is indeed true," Tanaka nodded. "That mortal seems like a lone wolf."

"I didn't notice that..." Nanami muttered.

Hinata thought that she wasn't much different... But the difference was obvious. Nanami also mainly stuck to the two of them, but it wasn't as visible as in Komaeda's case - she was just a naturally quiet and gentle person. In addition, she was getting along with Mioda really well, and the rest of the girls seemed to be quite fond of her. She was a little awkward and not the best at socializing, but she also was so nice that the others didn't mind it.

As for Komaeda… Not that he wasn’t nice to everyone, but at the same time he was making no attempts of getting closer to them. Hinata and Nanami were most likely the ones that knew him best.

“He… probably doesn’t feel confident around you,” he concluded his thoughts. “I mean, he finds you cool, but also doesn’t really know how to act around you.”

“So why is he okay with you two?” Kuzuryuu asked.

“Because they’re all losers,” Saionji decided to reply for them.

_Well, that’s like, basically it,_ Hinata thought.

“Maybe… we should do something that would bring us closer,” Nanami said quietly. “I mean… all of us.”

“That is really nice of you, Nanami-san.” Sonia smiled at her. “Do you have any ideas?”

“Not yet… But I’ll think about it, okay?”

After like a minute Komaeda joined them. Adding some people that were still in the hallway, all of them have finally gathered. Yukizome told them before that she has a surprise for them, so everyone was slightly nervous about it…

Then the director finally entered the room, followed by two unknown to them people, seemingly around her age.

"Hello everyone!" She exclaimed. "Like I already told you, today I have a little surprise for you. You're going to be interviewed for a small article in a magazine for teenagers." Yukizome pointed at the people with her. "They're the reporters who are going to ask you some questions."

They all fell silent for a moment.

"Huh?! An interview?! Why is Chisa-chan telling us now?! Ibuki's not ready!" Mioda yelled after like five seconds.

"It's only some questions, not a full interview, Mioda-san," she laughed. "We have to advertise our show somehow, and it's only the first step."

"But... You should've told us sooner, Yukizome-san..." Koizumi said.

"We won't take much of your time," a young women stated with a smile. "Also, feel free to talk with us in groups or pairs... For example, the main cast!" She pointed at Hinata, Nanami and Komaeda, who exchanged looks that could only mean confusion. "Yes, I mean you! Hajime Hinata, Nagito Komaeda and Chiaki Nanami, right?”

They all nodded, slowly realizing that they’re going to be the first victims.

“Don’t be so scared,” the guy holding a camera laughed. “Come on, kids.”

***

“So, this is a first serious role for every one of you?” The female reporter asked.

“Yes… I’ve only taken part in some school plays till now,” Hinata replied hesitantly.

“What about you?” She turned to Komaeda and Nanami.

“I’ve never actually thought of being an actor. It just… happened, I guess,” Komaeda said.

“It was the same… for me.” Nanami nodded.

“And how do you feel about suddenly being casted as the main characters?”

“Ehm… nervous?” Hinata muttered.

"I feel honored that I can be here with everyone, though I'm sure there's someone who would play this role better than me." Komaeda let out a quiet laugh.

"I'm happy, but it's..." Nanami said, then stopped. "I'm just going to do my best, even if it's hard... I think."

So typical of them.

"Hmm... Are you afraid of how the fans will react to you?"

They stayed silent for a moment and exchanged looks.

"I think that's a given," Komaeda decided to reply for them. "We're fans too, and I think none of us would want someone incompetent to play our favorite characters. That's why everyone is a bit scared."

"Komaeda-san, you're playing one of the fans favorites. I believe acting as him is hard to pull off. Do you think you understand Suzuki well enough to satisfy their expectations?"

He immediately became more serious, like always when he was asked a question like this. Hinata noticed it many times already - he wasn't comfortable with talking about Suzuki. He never said why though. It couldn't be a simple dislike...

"I believe I do," he answered finally. "But it's not for me to judge, right?"

"Right. And you, Hinata-san. Being the main hero is probably one of the biggest challenges, since he's the one that's supposed to get along with everyone. How is this part going for you?"

"Everything is fine, I guess. I mean... Thanks to everyone and Yukizome-san it's not only work but also fun, so we had time to get to know each other and learn what we should expect..." Hinata said.

"Nanami-san, you play a character that's supposed to know much more about their situation than her friends, but can't reveal it. Do you find that difficult?"

"Not really... I'm more worried about remembering my lines..."

"Okay, that would be all for now. But who knows, maybe we'll visit you once again once the show begins airing," the women said.

"Can I take a photo of you three together?" The guy asked, lifting his camera up.

"Sure," Nanami replied instantly. "Hinata-kun loves when someone takes photos of him."

The pic Nanami sent him two days ago popped up inside his head, forcing him to remember how freaking embarrassed he felt. Apparently she sent it to Komaeda too, but unlike him, he didn't seem to be bothered by this...

Maybe he's overreacting. Maybe none of them have noticed Hinata's obvious crush on Komaeda. They both seemed a bit oblivious in some cases...

No, Nanami definitely noticed. Otherwise she wouldn't be making comments like this. It was almost as if she was taking after Yukizome…

"You don't want to get on my bad side, Nanami..."

"On the same one that Mioda-san is on?

"Eh?" Komaeda looked at them with confusion. "Is there something I don't know about?"

"Nothing," they both replied in unison.

"Anyway, we're supposed to pose for a photo, right?" Hinata added. "Come here."

Komaeda smiled at him brightly and then he was already glued to his side, resting his chin on Hinata's shoulder. Nanami also moved closer, showing a peace sign at the photographer and smiling warmly.

"We're ready," she said.

"Eh?! Komaeda, I told you something about the personal space!"

"It's fine like this," he hummed softly next to his ear, and he could only pray that his blush wouldn't show on the photo. Goddammit, Komaeda.

The photographer only laughed at them and raised his camera. Though along with the sound of his equipment they heard another one.

Hinata was ready to snap at Mioda again, but then he realized it wasn't her. This time he noticed Koizumi, waving at them apologetically.

"Sorry," she said immediately. "I should've asked if I can do it, but the three of you looked so adorable together that I couldn't stop myself. Just look." The red-haired girl approached them and showed them the screen of her camera.

Hinata just couldn't deny it. It was also pretty funny, as his half-assed reluctance was clearly visible, and Komaeda's playful smile didn't make it any better. Nanami was the only one looking normal, but it almost seemed like she was making fun of them.

"...if I give you my e-mail address, will you send it to me?" He asked hesitantly.

"I want it too," Nanami added, and Komaeda nodded.

"Me too..."

"No problem!" She said with a smile. "I'm taking these photos for everyone, so I'm glad you like it."

"You're Mahiru Koizumi-san, right?" The reporter asked. "Since you're already here, let's call some of the other girls and talk."

"F-fine..." Her smile faltered a bit, as she turned to look for her friends. "Hiyoko-chan, Mikan-chan!"

"Ibuki too!" Mioda yelled. "Ibuki also wants to join!"

"T-the more of us, the better, right?" Tsumiki laughed nervously.

"Speak for yourself, pi…" Saionji started, but, to their surprise, didn’t finish her insult and fell silent. Though that didn’t stop Tsumiki from reacting in her usual way.

"S-sorry!"

*** 

“So, feeling famous already?” Yukizome asked them when the reporters had left, after convincing them to let them take a group photo too. Hinata didn’t even want to know how it turned out. “I thought it was a good moment to show you what to expect in the future.”

“This is bad… I’ve already managed to forget it’s not only fun and games…” Souda muttered.

“So you don’t want to be famous?” Kuzuryuu asked.

“I want, but I kind of don’t want at the same time…”

“If you don’t want, then I’ll be more than happy to steal all the spotlight!” Saionji exclaimed happily.

“Sure, the girl that gets killed off in the middle of the plot,” Kuzuryuu snorted in response.

“Wow, that was mean, big bro Kuzuryuu.”

“Just like your character was. The scenes we were rehearsing yesterday were just full of Ayumi bullying everyone,” he sighed.

“Yaaay, so much fun!”

“Enough.” Koizumi smacked her lightly on the head. “You were supposed to try being nicer, Hiyoko.”

“Eh?” The younger girl made a surprised face. “I am. Neither me nor big bro Kuzuryuu are being serious here.”

“Who would even be serious with a brat like you? I have a sister, and trust me, if I were to take her seriously every single time I’d have already gone mad,” he replied. “Of course I’m not serious. I’m just playing along.”

“Hey, I’m not a brat!”

Hinata sighed, as always making a comment only for Nanami and Komaeda to hear. “I see everyone is hundred percent prepared for being famous.”

“It’s not that bad, really,” Komaeda said with a smile. “It may seem so, when random people sometimes recognize you on the street, but Makoto didn’t have any problems with school or anything…”

“It that the truth or are you hiding anything?”

“Well, when he began attending high school it was a different case, since nobody knew him and everyone expected a lot, but almost all of you are all already in high school, so I guess it’s not a problem, right?” He shrugged. Hinata thought that his opinion on them was seriously too high…

“It’s going to be hell…” Nanami muttered.

“Let’s see…” Yukizome spoke up again, interrupting their small talk. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much time left until your summer break is over, and once school begins again, you won’t be able to be here as often. Of course, you’ll have to skip some days, and also come here immediately after classes, but… I would like us to cover as many scenes of the first chapter as possible before it starts.”

“Ibuki has a question! Are we going to visit Sonia-chan again this time?”

“Yes, but just like this time, only after we’re done with recording everything else,” Yukizome stated. “Suzuki’s first free time event takes place on the beach, right?”

“Huh?” Komaeda uttered. “Ah… yes, it does…”

“Wait… you’re doing Suzuki’s free time events?” Owari asked, visibly surprised. “I didn’t know that…”

“T-this is going to be… pretty emotional, isn’t it?” Tsumiki said. “I wish you l-luck…”

“Nanami-san is also doing free time events, so I’m not alone in this,” he laughed in response.

“Though while Komaeda-kun has some serious stuff to play… I get to say that I know how babies are made,” Nanami stated casually, what made Mioda burst into laughter.

Though that made Hinata remember how Suzuki’s FTE actually looked like. He carelessly suggested Yukizome to include them, but that only meant more pressure for Komaeda – there really was some serious stuff. The whole thing with Suzuki talking about his miserable life, and also…

The aborted love confession.

_I really didn’t think it through well enough, didn’t I…_

“Enough talking, we’re getting to work!” Yukizome clapped her hands. “Today we’re practicing that scene in the park!”

“Yes, Yukizome-san!”

***

On their break they somehow ended up sitting on the stairs in front of the building. By ‘they’ Hinata of course meant their permanent trio, because Nanami said that there’s a better internet connection in there. He didn’t even know why he agreed to this.

“It’s hot…” Komaeda sighed, brushing his unruly hair off his face. His coat hanged loose from the handrail, as well as Nanami’s hoodie.

“Do we really have to sit here, Nanami?” Hinata asked the girl, who was cheerfully clicking something on her phone, completely unmoved by the summer heat.

“Only a moment longer…” She muttered.

“I think I’ll melt if I stay here any longer…” Komaeda said, laying down on the tiles, then curling to the side. “At least the stairs are in the shadow…”

“You’ll get your t-shirt dirty…” Hinata stated, instead of commenting how adorable he looked.  Hell, he felt like laying down next to him and holding his hand or something lame like this, but that was out of question of course. He wasn’t ready to think about how Komaeda would react to that…

“I’m sorry…” The boy muttered. “If I do, I can just take it home and wash it…”

“I don’t think it would be necessary. They wash our costumes for us, remember?” Hinata reminded him.

“Right,” Komaeda laughed.

“Hey… Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun…” Nanami spoke up suddenly, giving them a hesitant glance and putting her phone away.

“What is it, Nanami?”

“How to make people like you?”

Neither of them made any sound for a moment, proceeding her question.

“I don’t think… I’m… the right person to ask something like this,” Komaeda replied in the end, shifting slightly to bright his legs closer to his chest. Nanami gave him a sad look, then fixed her gaze on the floor.

“I’m not exactly popular either,” Hinata said, trying to distract both of them. He didn’t like their gloomy expressions. “But what’s gotten into you, Nanami? I thought you’re plenty liked here.”

“It’s just…” She started, now looking at the sky instead. “I don’t know how to put it…”

“Does it have anything to do with the fact that all the girls went somewhere, and you stayed?” Komaeda asked.

Nanami nodded. “If I’m correct… Sonia-san took them to some café she likes in the neighborhood…”

“And you didn’t want to go with them?” Hinata frowned. Yes, they got used to spending time together, but in the end Nanami was a girl, and most girls liked spending time with other girls, even if only once in a while.

“It’s not that I… didn’t want to…” Nanami hanged her head, looking a bit disappointed. “They didn’t invite me.”

“Eh? Why?” Hinata certainly didn’t expect an answer like this. “I was sure you get along.”

“I think… They thought I would decline, because I’m always with you two…” She replied. “It’s not like I don’t like being with you, I really appreciate it… But…”

“You feel excluded,” Komaeda concluded, sitting up.

“…yeah…”

“And you’re afraid that they don’t like you,” he added bluntly.

“…yhm…”

“I don’t really think that’s the case,” Hinata said.

“But it’s always like this,” Nanami replied, clenching her hands into fists on her lap. “People are always nice… but I’m never able to make friends anyway.”

Both boys stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“It’s because I’m boring… I think,” she went on. “All I talk about are games, and I’m not good at anything else… There’s no reason for anyone to dislike me… but there’s also no reason for anyone to particularly like me…”

“I think that’s wrong,” Komaeda interrupted her gently. “I think… just nobody had the chance to get to know you better. Because…”

“…getting to befriend a person is a mutual effort. When only one side wants it, it just won’t work,” Hinata finished, what caused Komaeda to give him a sheepish smile. “But starting a friendship is just a matter of extending a hand to someone.”

“So… what should I do?” She asked after a moment. “I… want to bring all of us together, but I don’t really know how to make friends… I told Sonia-san that I’ll think of something, but… can I even do that?”

“Let’s think of this together then,” Hinata sighed. “What friends usually do?”

“Hang out?” Komaeda suggested.

“We already do, next please.”

“Play games?” Nanami muttered.

“It would be hard to get everyone to stay here so long just to play games…”

“…”

“Or maybe…” Hinata mumbled to himself. “There is an option…”

“What option?” Komaeda asked.

“Something Mioda would definitely approve of, since she keeps bugging me about it since middle school.”

Both Nanami and Komaeda gave him a questioning look, so he took a deep breath and revealed his idea to them.

“Do you think Yukizome-san would agree to organize a sleepover here?”

“A…”

“…sleepover…”

“This way we can involve everyone, and we would be able to do a lot of different things,” he explained. “We could play games, but also watch a movie… And I imagine Mioda would be all for telling ghost stories or something like this. We would sleep in sleeping bags. Yukizome-san would of course stay with us too...”

“I don’t know…” Komaeda wondered. Right. Hinata kind of forgot that he was actually a rather introverted person and there was a chance he wouldn’t want to spend a whole night away from home, with people he has known for only a few weeks…

“I like this idea.” Nanami in turn smiled at him brightly. “I wonder what everyone would think if we told them…”

“Then you handle the girls, and me and Komaeda ask the guys,” Hinata concluded, planning on asking about Komaeda’s opinion when they’re alone. He probably wouldn’t say the truth in Nanami’s presence, and Hinata didn’t want to force him to go along with their plans if he didn’t feel comfortable with it. “If everyone agrees, then we can ask Yukizome-san.”

“Okay.” Nanami nodded cheerfully. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“For being my first friends.” She smiled, most likely embarrassing the hell out of both of them. Why was she so straightforward. Just why. “I think we can go back to the building now.”

She simply stood up, picked her hoodie from the handrail and headed inside. Komaeda just sighed, shrugged his shoulders and followed her. Hinata also wanted to do so, but then he noticed a dark-green fabric still hanging there. He let out a slightly annoyed sigh, wondering how Komaeda could forget about it when Nanami took her own hoodie just a few seconds ago.

“You forgot something, airhead,” he said, catching up to them and holding Komaeda’s coat.

“Hmm? Oh, thanks, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda replied, wanting to take it from Hinata, but… “Why are you looking at it like this?”

“I was just thinking how a lot of outfits in Danganronpa don’t make any sense,” Hinata stated. “Look at Yokohama. Why is he wearing a tie when there’s no particular reason to. And why so many characters wear school uniforms? Like, Inami, and Hamagashira…”

“For aesthetic,” Nanami commented.

“To be honest, Suzuki and Yamada are one of the most normal-looking characters…” Hinata concluded, earning a giggle from Komaeda.

“This coat is actually pretty comfy. Want to try it on? We’re about the same height, so it should fit you,” he said.

“You okay with that?” Hinata asked to make sure, holding the green hoodie in front of himself.

“Sure!” Komaeda smiled at him cheerfully. “I bet you’ll look better than me.”

_I bet not,_ Hinata thought, but put it on anyway. It was a bit too loose, but it must’ve been the same for Komaeda. The fabric was nice to the touch and Hinata would surely appreciate how warm it was if not for the hot weather. And… it smelled nice.

That thought instantly made him want to jump off the stairs.

“It suits you, Hinata-kun,” Nanami said.

“See? I told you that you would look great!” Komaeda laughed.

_He’s making fun of me. He’s definitely making fun of me._

“What are you all doing here?” Suddenly, they heard Kuzuryuu’s voice. “Yukizome-san told me to look for Hinata and Komaeda, since she has no idea where did you go…”

Then he fell silent, gaping at Hinata with an unreadable expression.

“Guys, I get everything…” He muttered after a moment. “…but she’s really looking for you, so, I don’t know, go out together later or something…”

“It’s not like that!” Hinata exclaimed, instantly taking the coat off and shoving it into Komaeda’s hands. He managed to stay collected before, but not he was suddenly blushing again. “We just…”

“Sure, whatever,” he sighed. “It’s not really my business. Just go and find Yukizome-san.”

He glanced at Komaeda, looking for help, but all he got was a carefree laugh and a shrug.

"Sometimes you really are a pain in the ass," Hinata stated, following Kuzuryuu with resignation. Why does he cares. It wasn't even a big deal...

... Nanami will tease him about it later.

***

It turned out that it was his turn to practice his internal monologues again. After he won against the initial stress, it was actually pretty fun, with Komaeda and Nanami occasionally giving him some advice and Yukizome listening to them.

But this time, there was also something else.

“I want Komaeda-kun to start practicing with me his parts from the first trial,” Yukizome stated with a serious face. “And by that I mean only the two of us. Sorry, Hinata-kun, Nanami-san.”

“Eh? Why?” Hinata frowned.

“I want the rest of you to rehearse the trial without Komaeda-kun participating,” she started explaining. “And I want him to join you only for the actual recording.”

“I still don’t see where is it going…” Nanami said, tilting her head to the side.

“Basically I want you to be as surprised as it’s possible when you see what he is capable of. I keep saying it, but Komaeda-kun an excellent actor and I can’t wait to see him performing the more challenging scenes.” When Yukizome finally made her point, Komaeda’s cheeks instantly flushed pink as he looked at the ground.

“I’m nowhere near as good as you’re making it sound…” he muttered.

“And I want you to believe that you are.” The women smiled at him gently. “Back to the topic, it’s only for the first trial of course. I kind of want to take advantage of how surprised you’ll be, because I’m sure you will.”

“Do you... want us to start today?” Komaeda asked hesitantly.

“If you don’t have anything against,” Yukizome replied, making the boy shake his head.

“It’s fine with me.”

“Then we’ll use the courtroom, to make it easier,” she concluded. “I’m going to play the other characters, so you’ll have to put up with my acting skills for a bit.”

"So we're not needed now," Hinata sighed. "How about we join the rest, Nanami?"

The girl nodded, pulling a console out of her hoodie's pocket. Sometimes it seemed like she had definitely too many of them, and in places they weren't supposed to be... "Good luck, Komaeda-kun."

"Having good luck is my only talent," he replied with his 'Suzuki' smile. He really was a great actor. Much better than the two of them...

Hinata and Nanami headed to the cafe, expecting to find at least the boys there, but once they reached the stairs they heard a familiar, overly enthusiastic voice.

"Hajime-chan! Chiaki-chan! We're back!" Mioda yelled, catching up to them and hugging surprised Nanami from behind. "How's life going?!"

"M-Mioda-san!" Tsumiki called out to her. "You shouldn't scare Nanami-san like that!"

"Oops!" She laughed, squeezing the confused girl even tighter. "Sorry, Chiaki-chan looked just so moe that I had to do this!"

"Moe...?" Nanami muttered, frowning a little.

"Yup!" Mioda said, finally releasing her. "Anyway, where did you lose Nagito-chan again?"

"He's playing a psychopath with Yukizome-san," Hinata explained. "The first trial's parts, I mean."

"A psychopath? Holy cow, Ibuki wants to see!" Mioda's eyes widened as she instantly turned to sprint to where Komaeda and Yukizome were. Hinata managed to catch her by the collar of her uniform on the last moment.

"Not today, Mioda," he sighed.

"Why is that?" Sonia asked, approaching them.

"Shock value, I guess. We're going to see only when recording."

"Well, at least we'll have a surprise." Owari shrugged her shoulders.

"Makes sense," Pekoyama stated in addition.

"Eh? But I want to see too!" Saionji whined. "Big bro Komaeda didn't show us anything special yet!"

"Don't complain, Hiyoko-chan," Koizumi said. "We're going to see, but not now."

"That's mean." The blonde girl puffed her cheeks.

"Ibuki understands what you mean, Hiyoko-chan." Mioda nodded knowingly. "But let's go and tease Kazuichi-chan and Fuyuhiko-chan instead."

"I don't think this is a good idea..." Pekoyama muttered, but...

"Yaaaaay!" Saionji let out a cheerful cry and ran after Mioda, who grabbed Nanami's hand and dragged her along, as if not even noticing that. Pekoyama just hurried after them.

"Does she ever run out of fuel?" Owari laughed at the girls.

"During the few years I've known her for, it never happened," Hinata sighed.

"I feel a little bad for you..." Koizumi commented with a half-hearted smile, while Sonia, Owari and Tsumiki followed those who disappeared a moment earlier. The red-haired girl was about to do so too, but Hinata stopped her on a whim.

"Wait, Koizumi!"

"What is it, Hinata?" She turned to him. "Any problem you can't solve by yourself?"

"Basically...?" Her comment made him a bit embarrassed. "I probably shouldn't be asking this, I don't want you to think I'm nosy, but..."

"Go straight to the topic," she interrupted him. "You sound silly, making excuses like that."

He almost wished he had stopped Pekoyama or Sonia.

"I want to ask you for a favor," he said. "Next time, when you go somewhere together... Please, invite Nanami too. She's... probably too shy to ask you herself."

Koizumi blinked in surprise, then her expression softened a bit.

"I didn't expect that. You're a good person, Hinata," she said, showing him a slight smile.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I'll fulfill this request, so don't worry. But you owe me one."

"Sure. Just… don’t tell her I asked you for this,” he replied, probably feeling more relieved than he should. There was a chance Nanami wouldn’t want him to do things like that for her, but… What’s wrong with helping her out a bit?

“Of course I won’t,” Koizumi said, waving her hand impatiently. “Anyway, let’s join them, or they’ll start suspecting something.”

***

After Komaeda had returned from his rehearsal with Yukizome, he was in a visibly worse mood… Or at least it was visible to Hinata. Though he was still smiling just like always, he seemed easier to irritate and generally more done with everything than ever before.

“Was it really that bad?” He asked him when they were finally free to go home, and were only waiting for Nanami outside of the building. The air was already cooling down, making the evening much more pleasant that the day.

“What do you mean?” Komaeda played oblivious.

“You know what I mean,” Hinata said. “You seem upset ever since Yukizome-san let you go. What did she do to you? Or are you just so tired of her parody of acting?”

The other boy thought of an answer for a moment.

“It’s not Yukizome-san’s fault,” he replied in the end. And that was all he had to say.

“Komaeda, you…”

“Sorry for making you wait…” Nanami’s sleepy voice interrupted him. “Mioda-san forced me to try on her uniform… to check how it would look on me…”

“You agreed to that?” Hinata sighed.

“I did… Only the uniform though, no accessories…”

“And what did she say?”

“That I look even more moe… Because a sailor uniform makes every girl cuter, or something like this,” Nanami said, not looking very convinced.

“Sounds like something she would do,” Komaeda commented.

He often walked the two of them to the station. Sometimes Mioda accompanied them, but she was often running off somewhere, who knows were. It became normal to them to part ways only when their train was about to leave, so today they intended to go to the station together as well, but someone called out to them. Or maybe not to them, but rather to Nanami.

“Nanami-san!” Koizumi waved at her from some distance, where she stood with Tsumiki, Mioda and Saionji. “Want to hit up a bookstore with us? We were wondering if you would like to join our group!”

So she didn’t waste time with what she had promised to Hinata and decided to take action immediately. He thought that maybe it was the right thing to do after all, watching as Nanami’s smile brightened and eyes sparkled in pure happiness. She sent them a hesitant glance.

“Just go. Don’t mind us,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said. “Then… see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

“See you tomorrow, Nanami-san,” Komaeda added, as she ran off in the direction of the other girls, waving them goodbye. "It's a result of your doings, am I right, Hinata-kun?"

"Maybe. But Nanami seems happy, and that's what counts," he replied. "If there's a chance of helping, I'll do it."

"I would expect no less from you," Komaeda laughed. "You're even kind to someone like me, so I shouldn't be surprised."

_I'm kind especially to your insecure ass, you adorable little shit._

"Anyway, it seems we have to go alone today, so... On our way, tell me the truth about why you're upset."

"So you won't let it slide?" His smile faltered a bit.

"I'm done with letting things just slide, Komaeda," he said. "It won't get us anywhere. I'm not a mind-reader, so I have to ask."

"True," he sighed. "Makoto says, that what failed between the DR characters was communication, so... Sorry for worrying you. It's just... kind of exhausting to act as Suzuki. It's fine when he's behaving normally, but it's easy to have enough in those worse moments."

"...will you be able to pull it off?" Hinata asked, seeing his ‘fed-up-with-this-shit’ face. It was rare to see him so openly expressing his discontent.

"If they're telling me to play, I will. It's not really that hard," Komaeda stated casually. He told him something along these lines when they first met...

"Do you really hate this character that much?"

"It's not about hatred," he said, biting at his lower lip. "It's about fitting into the role of someone you understand, but at the same time you completely disagree with. I know how to put myself in his shoes, but I don't really want this, because I know that what he's doing isn't right."

"So it's a moral dilemma?" Hinata couldn't hide that he was surprised. "You always seem so professional that I didn't expect you to have thoughts like that..."

"I said it already, but I'm not a professional." Komaeda gave him a forced smile. "I'm just a fan who got lucky and now is a part of their favorite story, and fans are bound to overanalyze things.”

“So you admit you tried to analyze Suzuki?”

“Of course I did,” he sighed, crossing his arms on his chest. “But… it’s just watching a person who screws up everything he touches. Even if he wasn’t doing it for the sake of his own selfish desires, everything ended up in a fiasco. He’s wishes for good things, but around him only the bad ones seem to happen. To me it’s… kind of pathetic.”

“There is something about it…” Hinata admitted. “But I just can’t be that harsh on him. You know, he doesn’t have control over his cycle of luck…”

“Hinata-kun…” Komaeda gave him a serious look, then fixed his gaze on the paving of the sidewalk. “It’s not a character to be liked. It’s a character to be pitied. People come to like him because they feel sorry for him, not because they find him actually likeable. And I don’t think he would want this.”

For a moment they fell silent. What’s with this sudden deep conversation about a video game character… Sure, he’d talked with Mioda about many things regarding the games, but none of them were this serious about it.

“You’re right, I feel sorry for him,” Hinata said finally. “But you’re wrong about one thing. There’s more to this than just pity… Because I kind of admire him for holding on for so long. He just kept losing everything. His parents, his health… other people constantly treated him badly, and he had basically no one to support him, but… He never really gave up.”

He didn’t even know what was the point of explaining it to Komaeda, as he was pretty sure he knew all of this.

“You think that’s a good reason to admire someone?” The other boy asked, frowning a little.

“I think it is.” Hinata replied. “Yes, the whole thing with the killing game, despair and hope just pushed him to the limits, and then he’d learned about all of them being Remnants of Despair, what made it even worse… But I can’t say for sure I would even made it that far if I was him, and let alone that I wouldn’t take part in the killing. Also… I still believe that there’s a happy ending waiting for him, just like for the rest.”

“…I guess there’s something true about both mine and your opinion,” Komaeda muttered. “I’ll have that in mind while acting. Maybe it’ll make it easier.”

“I hope so,” Hinata sighed, relieved that this topic was over. As interesting as talking with Komaeda was, it wasn’t easy to find the right words. “Let’s talk about something else. I wanted to ask what do you think about the sleepover idea. Nanami liked it, but you didn’t look exactly happy.”

“If everyone likes it, then I…”

“I’m not asking everyone else. I’m asking you.”

“I’m fine with that, really. I’m just worried about the fact that you want to involve everyone, including me,” Komaeda said, probably too tired to argue. “I don’t want to ruin your fun with my presence. Like, I know I’m annoying. Even if someone, for example you and Nanami-san, can put up with me for quite a while, I’ll finally do or say something weird and you’ll come to a conclusion that you’ve had enough of a trash like me, so…”

“You’re not a trash,” Hinata interrupted him, lightly punching his shoulder. Just now he had realized that hearing those words hurt him quite a bit. He didn’t want him to feel like that. “And there’s no way we would think something like this...”

“But…”

“I think Nanami wants to bring us all together also because of you,” he continued. “She cares about you and wants you to feel good in our group. And I’m with her on this.”

“I don’t understand why you would…”

“Why are you so set on this way of thinking?” He said as he stopped, making Komaeda stop too and give him a curious look.

As much as he didn’t want to, Hinata was getting annoyed. He knew that he couldn’t just change Komaeda’s view on himself so easily, but knowing it didn’t mean he wouldn’t get impatient.

“Look, it’s fine if you see yourself this way… I mean, it’s not, it would be freaking great if you didn’t... But what I want to say is that no matter how you look in your own eyes, it won’t change how you look in mine, and I can ensure you that you look much better. Give me a chance, goddammit.”

He didn’t even feel embarrassed while saying all these things. Maybe he should, but it’s not like Komaeda understood that it indeed should be seen as embarrassing, and what it really meant to Hinata.

“If you don’t believe in yourself, then believe in me.” _Because it’s easier to put faith in someone else, when you think you’re no one special._ “In exchange, I’ll be the one to believe in you.”

The other boy was looking at him with utmost confusion written on his face, as if he didn’t understand a single word. For a moment Hinata thought he had caught a glimpse of his teary eyes, but then he blinked, and he couldn’t tell if it was real anymore.

“So… you think… that I can still fit in?” He asked hesitantly. “If I believe in you, will something change?”

“Maybe. Who knows? You won’t know until you try.”

“Then… I’ll try.” A smile returned to Komaeda’s face, this time a little shy, but genuine one. “I don’t know how I’ll do, but if Hinata-kun asks me to try, I can’t turn him down.”

“Do it for yourself, not for me, dumbo,” Hinata muttered, starting to move again. “If I’m late for my train, I’m going to blame you.”

“Sorry,” he simply laughed, following him. “I just like talking with Hinata-kun too much, especially when he gets all serious.”

“Now you’re going to make fun of me? Look what I get for my motivational speech…”

“I wouldn’t dare!

“I’m pretty sure you would.”

“Weren’t you supposed to believe in me?”

“I believe you love making fun of me whenever you have a chance.”

“That’s mean!”

_A matter of extending a hand, huh?_

Since when did he become such an empathetic person? Because he sure wasn’t one not too long ago.

It seemed that after meeting Komaeda something have changed.

And it probably wasn’t a bad change.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading, leaving kudos and commenting! I keep getting excited about any kind of feedback, so really thank you, you're all the best!
> 
> Also, if you've spotted any mistakes, don't be hesitant to tell me! I really wanted to post this chapter today, but I didn't have the time to check it thoroughly, so I hope you'll forgive me if there were any errors~


	11. Unexpected guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who just threw away half of their allowance to buy that magazine with the KomaHina poster  
> I guess I'm desperate (and broke)
> 
> In this chapter you can expect: some unexpected guests, some random stories, and also some girls' gossips.  
> Also, please watch Nanami's free time events, this girl is so ridiculous

From: _Mahiru Koizumi_

To: _Hajime Hinata, Nagito Komaeda, Chiaki Nanami_

Re: _the photo I promised to send you_

 

Download: _1 attachment_

 

Seeing that message, Hinata immediately saved the picture on his phone and opened it to see what it looked like again.

He probably liked it much more than he should, but… He never really had friends he could take pictures with. He had some photos with Mioda, but they were quite unpresentable.

This one though was... honestly adorable. He will probably print it out later and put over his desk or something like this.

Hinata hesitantly picked the option 'set as homescreen', unaware that two other people did the same thing.

***

“So, the day has finally come.”

“It seems so.”

“Yhm…”

“You probably expected that, but…” Yukizome began, looking directly at their trio. “The first thing we’ll be practicing today are the free time events!”

All of them looked through the pages of their scripts without a single word. Hinata really wanted to know what they’re thinking right now… In the end, it was him who’d gotten them into acting those parts.

“Why do you look so gloomy?” Mioda interrupted the silence. “Free time events are fun! Ibuki wished she could also do Anju’s FTE!”

“Nana… sure talks a lot here…” Nanami muttered, showing Mioda the page she was holding. “I think I’ve memorized it… but I’m still worried my mind will go blank during acting…”

“Ibuki’s sure Chiaki-chan is going to be totally fine!” Mioda responded with a thumbs-up. “What about Nagito-chan?”

“I’m good.” He showed her a smile. “Just checking if I remember my lines.”

“I have twice as many of them…” Hinata muttered.

“It’s the fate of a protagonist, Hinata-kun,” he stated.

“Hajime-chan only complains for the sake of complaining. Even in middle school he could quote Danganronpa from his memory.”

“What a nerd!” Saionji laughed somewhere in the background.

“Right?!” Mioda shouted. “Though Ibuki’s the same, she could recite Anju’s parts pretty well after playing the game!”

Hinata remembered their time at middle school, when she forced him to play all these games. After that, they sometimes did some small sketches based on the events… Especially after joining the drama club, when acting suddenly became his hobby for some years. It was totally random, but he made some memories he held dear now.

“I can confirm this,” he said, looking at Mioda. “School clubs, huh… I can’t say for sure because of what happened to our memories, but I probably wasn’t in any clubs.”

The girl’s eyes immediately lit up with enthusiasm, as she picked up from here.

“Hyaaaaaaha!” She yelled happily. “That’s a major bingo!”

“What is…?”

Her expression instantly changed, as she changed her tone into a more demanding one. “Well, isn’t it obvious!? You should be a part of Anju’s music club from now on!”

“…and that’s what it looks like,” he said, cutting their silly sketch off. “I missed it a bit…”

“Ibuki loves Hajime-chan so much!” She exclaimed, throwing herself at him, hugging tightly and then already releasing, before he could even do anything. “Now Ibuki’s no longer sad about not doing the free time events, have fun!”

And then she stormed off to harass someone else from the group, most likely Tsumiki, as their heard her high-pitched squeak.

“She’s like a… hurricane, or something like that…” Nanami said, following Mioda with her eyes.

“Pretty much.” Hinata smiled. “But that’s what’s so great about her. She’s just being herself without a care in the world. It’s hard to keep up with her… But if you do, she’s an amazing friend.”

“I can… kind of see it,” Komaeda admitted. “She’s someone who would always pull you along, no matter what… Am I right?”

“You are exactly right.”

“You sound like… you’re grateful to her,” Yukizome pointed out.

“Because I kind of am,” Hinata replied. “It’s thank to her that I’m here today. If she hadn’t forced me to come here, I wouldn’t have done that.”

“And then… we wouldn’t have met…” Komaeda muttered, then gave him one of these terribly endearing smiles. “I guess I should be grateful to Mioda-san too.”

Hinata would probably end up blushing again if not for the meaningful look Nanami gave him. Right. _If you don’t want him to find out, you have to control yourself better,  Hajime._

“Getting back to the topic… Which one of you wants to go through your FTE first?” Yukizome asked. “At this point, it doesn’t really matter, so…”

“Can I…?” Nanami looked at Komaeda hesitantly. “I’m worried I’ll forget everything I’ve memorized so far… but saying it out loud will probably help me with it…”

“Sure. Go ahead, Nanami-san,” he replied.

“Then let’s move to the hotel lobby,” the director said. “We’re changing location, everyone!”

“So Nanami goes first…” Mitarai noted to himself.

“It’s going to be soooo cute!” Mioda exclaimed cheerfully, poking at Tsumiki’s side. “Right, Mikan-chan?”

“E-eh? R-right, of course!” She nodded with a smile. “Nana is an adorable person…”

Nanami looked down at the script once again, this time seemingly more determined. With each day there were less and less hesitance in her – it was simply disappearing, slowly making place for confidence.

“Then… I’m going to show you what I’ve learned,” she said in quiet, but firm voice.

As much as Hinata didn’t like that, he remembered something his mother told him after he got casted.

_Don’t get discouraged too easily. Confidence comes with time._

_***_

Since it wasn’t a game anymore, they had to change some aspects of the free time events, especially the way Yokohama was approaching the characters. In Nana’s case, they made her sit on a couch in the lobby, asleep with a game console in her hands.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be sleeping here,” he spoke up, coming closer end touching her shoulder. Nanami twitched, fluttered her eyelids and brought one of her hands to rub her eye.

“…huh? Ah, sorry… It seems that I dozed off…” She yawned. Very believably, to be honest.

“Have you not been sleeping well?” He asked and sat down next to her.

“Hmm…” She hummed sleepily. “When I’m gaming I tend to forget about sleeping… Sometimes I even forget to breathe.”

Hinata looked at her with as much confusion as it was possible, and Nanami continued.

“Plus… I keep having nightmares. I had a bad dream the other day so I’ve been a little scared…”

“…can I ask what kind of dream you had?”

“Well… It was a dream about “Trio the Punch.” She tried to keep an indifferent tone, but Hinata knew her well enough to spot her excitement.

“Huh?”

Nanami raised one finger to her mouth, as if trying to remember her dream. “The statue at the Jabberwock Island changed into a bald old man with a thin moustache. It’s probably because that game also takes place on a tropical island…”

Ridiculous. She was ridiculous.

“The more I think about it, the more this situation feels like that bizarre action game!” She exclaimed passionately, turning to him with clenched fists. “We might actually end up turning into sheep…”

“You sound a bit too energetic, Nanami-san,” Yukizome interrupted them with an apologetic expression. “You should be more lethargic. Nana is an AI, she expresses very little emotions…”

“Oh…” The pink-haired uttered, visibly disappointed.

“But you have memorized your lines perfectly,” Sonia spoke up. “You had problems with it before, so I think this is a great progress.”

“How did you even do that?” Owari frowned. “That’s a lot more talking than you had to do before.”

“You know... Remember that feeling when you’re listening to some boring stuff during classes…” Nanami started hesitantly. “And suddenly the teacher mentions something you like. It instantly wakes you up and forces you to listen, right? It’s similar…”

“You’re telling us you know that absurd game Yamada was talking about?” Souda looked pretty surprised.

“Yhm, I do.”

“And you’ve played it?”

“Yhm, I did. It wasn’t that bad.”

“That’s crazy!”

“But if that works as something that helps her memorize things, then why are you complaining?” Koizumi sighed.

“I think that… I’ve actually played all of the games that Nana references,” Nanami said. “So I’m going to be fine. I just… have to play it cool.”

“Playing so many weird games may affect your brain,” Saionji snarked.

“Right. What if she really turns into a sheep,” Kuzuryuu sighed theatrically.

“Are we going to go back to practicing or not?” Hinata asked, glancing at the group sitting on the floor and observing them. He could easily notice Komaeda giggling at this conversation...

“Of course,” Yukizome laughed. “Let’s start from the beginning again…

After some time Hinata was sure he’s had enough of ‘Trio the Punch’ for the rest of his life.

***

“So it’s my turn now, I guess…” Komaeda picked himself up from the floor after Nanami heavily sat down.

“Nagito-chan can’t beat Chiaki-chan at being completely ridiculous, but it’s not going to be bad either,” Mioda commented.

“How do you know that? Have you played Suzuki’s free time events?” Souda, sitting right next to her, asked.

“Of course Ibuki did.” She grinned at him. “Ibuki also did Issei-chan’s FTE and he’s a total cutie! Kazuichi-chan totally has to go through them with her.”

“You really t-think so?” He unexpectedly stuttered, his cheeks turning pink like his hair.

“Ibuki does!” Mioda exclaimed cheerfully. “If Ibuki had a friend like that, she would do whatever she could to make him believe in himself more!”

Poor guy looked so stunned that it became obvious that nobody ever told him something like this. Technically Mioda was talking about his character, but it seemed that almost everyone was at least partially identifying themselves with their roles, so…

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a beach here, so it doesn’t really matter where we practice Suzuki’s free time event,” Yukizome spoke up. “As for me, we can just stay here.”

“I’m fine with that,” Komaeda said. “Hinata-kun?”

“Same for me.”

“You always agree with each other,” Hanamura pointed out with that kind of smile that Hinata definitely didn’t like. “You seem really compatible…”

“The truth is that Hajime-chan-“

“SHUT UP MIODA.”

“…maybe let’s just go back to work,” Komaeda laughed awkwardly, and Hinata nodded at that.

“That’s the best idea.”

“Then start when you are ready,” Yukizome concluded. “At first you have to keep some distance, so Hinata-kun can approach Komaeda-kun.”

They moved some meters away from each other, trying to quieten a bit. The mood between Nana’s FTE and Suzuki’s FTE was completely different… Though the first event was still quite peaceful. Hinata took a deep breath and slowly walked up to him.

“What are you doing here, all alone?” He asked.

“Hmm? Ah, it’s you, Yokohama-kun.” Komaeda gave him a carefree smile. Hinata thought that if they really were in the same situation as those characters… He would easily get fooled by a smile like that. “I was just wondering how can we get off this island, that’s all.” He fell silent for a moment, just looking at him, then sending him a worried glance. “Yokohama-kun… are you feeling sick?”

“Huh? No, not at all…”

“I see… Then it’s okay. I thought you looked pale or something. That maybe something was worrying you…” He explained, then laughed. “Ah, but it’d be weird if you weren’t worrying in a situation like this.”

He was about to speak up again when he sent a glace in Mioda’s direction. Hinata couldn’t stop himself from doing the same, noticing the girl cautiously watching the door leading out of the room. It was left open, but he couldn’t see anything or anyone there.

“Is something wrong, Mioda-san?” Yukizome also noticed her strange behavior.

“Ehm…” She stuck her forefingers together, glancing in that direction once again. “Ibuki thinks she heard something there… like… someone talking?”

“…talking?” Yukizome looked surprised.

“Mioda has a very good hearing,” Hinata stated. “If she heard something, then it means someone’s there.”

After he said that, somebody really emerged from behind the wall. It was a teenage girl with long, dark-blue hair. A one that everyone immediately recognized, despite never meeting her in person before. There was no way they wouldn’t recognize her.

“It seems that we’ve been found out,” she laughed melodically, pulling at someone’s hand. “Come on, there’s no use hiding now.”

Another person appeared in the doorway, this time a red-haired boy with a lot of piercings.

“Sorry for disturbing your work, guys,” he said with a smile. “We meant to watch for a bit and wait for your break… And hello, Yukizome-san. Long time no see!”

“Ah, I didn’t expect you here!” She exclaimed happily, running up to them and pulling the girl into a hug. “You could’ve told me!”

“We wanted to make you a surprise!” She said.

The rest of them just stared at this scene, too taken-aback and unsure of what to do.

“No way…” Mioda muttered.

“Is this happening for real?” Souda added.

“I can’t believe it’s the real…” Mitarai also wanted to say something, but Hanamura didn’t let him.

“Sayaka Maizono!” He squealed and threw himself in that direction.

“And Leon-chan!” Mioda immediately picked herself up from the floor and accompanied the boy. After them, everyone started standing up and approaching the unexpected guests, because…

Yeah, they were no one else than Sayaka Maizono and Leon Kuwata, members of the first series’ cast, currently trying to start a career as musicians.

“Hello everyone!” The girl smiled at them when Yukizome let go of her. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet all of you.”

“I cannot believe we actually get to meet you!” Sonia said with excitement, taking her hand and squeezing it. “I am a fan!”

“I’m sure soon I’ll be able to say that I’m your fan, too,” Maizono replied warmly.

“I’m your fan too!” Souda yelled, earning a dazzling smile from the girl.

“Aaaah, Leon-chan!” Mioda barely stopped herself from launching at him. Instead she raised her hand. “Do a high-five with Ibuki!”

“No problem,” he grinned, reciprocating her gesture.

“Guys, you have to give me your autographs! My siblings would be so happy!” Owari exclaimed.

Nanami and Komaeda just smiled at each other, not joining this madness, while Hinata was trying to stop himself from reacting just like the rest.

“Hello, Maizono-san, Kuwata-kun.” Komaeda waved at the pair as they came closer. “Nice to see you again.”

“Ah, Komaeda-kun!” Maizono turned to him. “It’s not like we don’t see each other, right?”

“Actually, we don’t,” Kuwata said. “I haven’t seen him in months!”

“If you visited Makoto-kun once in a while, you would definitely run into him,” she pointed out.

“What are you guys talking about?” Kuzuryuu asked.  “Why the hell Komaeda seems to know you?!”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Maizono giggled adorably. “Komaeda-kun is Makoto Naegi’s cousin. He used to visit us here sometimes.”

“WHAT,” Souda managed to say before Mioda shoved him aside, gluing herself to Komaeda’s arm.

“Why didn’t Nagito-chan say anything?!”

“There was no reason to…” He replied. “Besides, doesn’t Nanami-san also know them?”

“Hello,” Nanami muttered, finally getting to stand near Maizono and Kuwata.

“Hello, Nanami,” the boy laughed.

“What is even happening here,” Saionji whined. “Why big sis Nanami also knows you?”

“Chihiro Fujisaki.” This name was the only explanation they got from her.

“This is a quite unexpected turn of events…” Tanaka stated.

“And you must be Hinata-kun, the new protagonist!” Maizono exclaimed unexpectedly, turning in his direction. “Makoto-kun already told me that he can’t wait to meet you!”

“…he does?” Hinata muttered, feeling awkward under the girl’s gaze. She was an actress that played in his favorite show, of course he would feel intimidated, suddenly getting her attention…

“Yhm, he does!” She nodded. “That’s why I decided to do it first!”

“And dragged me along,” Kuwata sighed.

“Don’t pretend now, you wanted to go with me,” she said in response, then turned to the group listening to every word that escaped her lips. “We have a lot of good memories about this place, and we also missed Yukizome-san.”

“Maizono-san…” The women suddenly looked touched.

“I asked Makoto-kun if Komaeda-kun told him anything about whether you’re rehearsing now or already recording. We wanted to visit you while you’re still at chapter one, but didn’t want to distract you while filming,” Maizono explained.

“And here we are,” Kuwata added.

“Why chapter one…?” Mitarai asked hesitantly, and the duet exchanged looks.

“Because that’s the chapter during which we’ve died,” Kuwata said, shrugging his shoulders. “It just felt like the right time to make an appearance.”

Maizono nodded in agreement. “It’s sad when your character is the one to die so early… But we’ve still ended up hanging with the rest a lot.”

“Speaking of characters who died during the first chapter…” Hinata spoke up. “Wasn’t there one more girl in your group?”

“You mean Ikusaba-san…?” Maizono asked, and he confirmed with a nod.

“Ah, her,” Kuwata remembered. “We’re not exactly close to her. She’s a nice gal, but Naegi and Kirigiri get along with her much better, so maybe they will take her with them some time.”

Hinata was a little curious about that Mukuro Ikusaba girl. From what he knew, she was Junko Enoshima’s twin sister… and whenever someone mentioned the latter, Yukizome was always tensing up a bit.

“Anyway, what brings you here?” The director asked.

“Like I said before, as a part of the previous cast, I wanted to meet the new one,” Maizono replied. “And also…”

“We wanted to watch you guys act,” Kuwata said. “Komaeda and Naegi’s little sister kept coming to watch, so this is a revenge, I guess.”

“What’ve you done, big bro Komaeda,” Saionji snarked. “Now everyone’s going to be nervous!”

“I couldn’t predict that,” said boy laughed. “Look, Saionji-san, it’s mine and Hinata-kun’s turn anyway.”

“Oh shit…” Hinata muttered unwillingly.

“Don’t worry about it so much, we’re going to keep quiet and just sit somewhere where we’re not so visible,” Maizono stated. “We don’t want to ruin your effort, so… we can talk some more on your break.”

“Then what’re we waiting for!?” Mioda yelled. “Hajime-chan, Nagito-chan, back to work!”

“It’s easy to say for you!” Hinata exclaimed defensively. “You’re not the one being watched by your idols!”

“Nagito-chan looks fine though.”

“Because he knew them before!”

“Man, we’re not that scary,” Kuwata laughed. “We can stay, right, Yukizome-san?”

“Of course!” She smiled. “Though if Hinata-kun gets too nervous…”

“I’ll be fine,” he muttered. “It would be bad if something like this stopped me, when there’s a freaking lot of people that are going to watch us later on…”

“Then let’s find ourselves a place, Leon-kun!” Maizono clapped her hands cheerfully.

“Can Ibuki sit next to Sayaka-chan!?”

“If you want to, then I don’t see a problem.”

“Yahooooo!”

Without him noticing it, Komaeda moved closer and gently brushed his hand against Hinata’s. He could feel his heart jump at this brief touch.

“Don’t pay attention to them.” Komaeda smiled at him reassuringly. “You’ll do great, as always.”

A moment ago he was almost panicking at the thought of someone more experienced than him watching him perform, but now everything was suddenly okay again. Having a crush on someone was magical. They say a few words of comfort, and here goes a miracle.

Finally everyone fell silent and they could go back to what they were doing, this time with two more people watching.

But it didn’t matter that they were watching. Komaeda was the only person he had to pay attention to in that scene, and it pretty much distracted him from the additional duo among their audience.

***

After that, they also went through a scene in which all of them could take part - just for the sake of their guests enjoyment. Of course it was more stressful, but who wouldn't like to show off a bit?

"Guys, you really are good," Kuwata commented when Yukizome announced a break. "Why were you even scared of?"

"It’s normal. Tsumiki once freaked out so badly that she accidentally walked into a potted plant and started apologizing to it," Saionji said, making the girl blush furiously.

"S-Saionji-san!"

"If it makes you feel better, Makoto-kun once nearly fell off the stairs because Oowada-kun called out to him when he was reciting his lines to himself..." Maizono smiled at her reassuringly. "Kyouko-chan caught him on the last moment."

"Seriously?! He could've died!" Souda said with a shocked expression.

"It seems that luck runs in the family," Hinata muttered. Komaeda always described his cousin as 'cool', but the image of Makoto Naegi forming from Maizono's words certainly didn't seem like that.

"Maizono-san," Sonia spoke to the blue-haired girl. "There is a cafe in the neighborhood we sometimes visit. Would you like to join us today?"

"With pleasure," she replied. "Then Leon-kun..."

"I'll hang out with the guys, of course if they don't kick me out of here."

"W-we wouldn't do that..." Komaeda laughed.

"Tell us more stories about Makoto-chan, Sayaka-chan!" Mioda yelled, already heading to the door.

"You going with them, Nanami?" Hinata asked, noticing her pulling out her phone.

"Yhm, I'm going." Nanami gave him a smile. "See you later!"

Nanami ran after the other girls, caught up to them and stayed in the back with Tsumiki. After Koizumi invited her to go to the bookstore the other day, she began feeling more confident at being around them… Though she was convinced that nothing could change the fact that she felt the most comfortable in Hinata’s and Komaeda’s presence.

“You playing that weird game again, Nanami?” Owari asked her, looking back.

“It’s not weird… There’s a lot weirder games, Owari-san,” she replied.

“I’m not sure if I want to know what kind of games you are playing…” Pekoyama said, looking at her with concern.

“Basically… all kinds,” Nanami stated. “As long as they are fun, I don’t care about the genre…”

“So, Chiaki-chan, have you ever played a BL game?” Mioda narrowed her eyes, smiling provocatively as she stopped for a moment for Nanami to catch up. The other girl could feel her cheeks heating up at the sudden question.

“N-no…” She shook her head.

“But would you?” Mioda insisted.

“It it had a good plot… t-then maybe…”

“Ibuki managed to get Chiaki-chan embarrassed, yahoooo!” She yelled, running ahead of them again. “Chiaki-chan is so cute!”

“It seems that you have a lot of fun in here,” Maizono giggled.

“I think we do,” Sonia said in response. “We have been constantly together for a few weeks, so… I am slowly beginning to think about everyone as my family.”

Nanami looked away from her game to involuntarily fix her eyes on the blonde girl.

Up till now, she was mostly alone. Nobody ever called her their friend, and the only people that considered her a family were her sister and Chihiro. She wanted to get closer to someone so badly, yet she had no idea how to make herself look worth it in their eyes…

“And ah, Nanami-san.” Sonia turned to her with a smile. “Thank you for showing me that game with those strange animals. Now I play it with Tanaka-san during our walks.”

She looked back at her phone, feeling a wide smile creeping onto her face. Maybe she wasn’t as boring as she thought of herself.

***

“The truth is that Makoto-kun wasn’t supposed to even go to the audition. Everything was one, big accident,” Maizono said, while all the girls listened to her carefully. “I tried to convince him to go with me, since we knew each other since elementary school, but it was no use. I actually wanted him to play Kanata, and myself to play Rei, but that’s a different story... Back to the topic, Makoto-kun wasn’t supposed to be there at all. The reason why he appeared there back then was absolutely ridiculous. It turned out that Komaeda-kun asked him to go with him to some store in the neighborhood, and he, of course, agreed. They somehow got separated, and while Makoto-kun was looking for Komaeda-kun, he ran into a girl he had never met before. She told him that she’s lost and asked him to guide her to the audition building. Makoto-kun tried to explain to her that he’s looking for someone, but she practically begged him for help, so he agreed. He’s always like that, he can’t say ‘no’.” The girl laughed, seeing their amused expressions. “That girl turned out to be Asahina-san. After he guided her to her destination he wanted to go back, but then he ran into another two girls, and it looked like one of them was bullying the other. Sometimes Makoto-kun likes to play the hero, so he stood up for that bullied girl and started arguing with the other, in front of everyone. These girls turned out to be Enoshima-san and Ikusaba-san. By another accident, Yukizome-san saw Makoto-kun’s and Enoshima-san’s fight, and she came to a conclusion that they’re perfect for playing enemies and dragged them both with her to the audition room. That’s the story behind Makoto-kun becoming an actor, and in addition, the protagonist.”

Nanami noted that Mioda was almost suffocating from laughter.

“That’s…” Tsumiki started hesitantly.

“…pretty random,” Koizumi finished.

“It’s even funnier than Hajime-chan coming to the audition because Ibuki tempted him with a figurine!” Mioda uttered between her laughing fits.

“Are all protagonist these lame…?” Saionji asked.

“I think you’re overlooking something…” Nanami spoke up. “It all started because of Komaeda-kun.”

“That’s even funnier!” Mioda exclaimed. “Hajime-chan got into the building without waiting in the queue because of Nagito-chan’s connections!”

“I can’t believe it’s all Komaeda’s doings…” Owari said, for a moment looking away from her food.

“That’s even more random…” Koizumi added.

"Oh, right. Speaking of Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun, I was supposed to talk to you about something..." Nanami remembered.

"What is it, Nanami-san?" Sonia, who was sitting right next to her, asked.

"The three of us... talked about what we can do together, as a group," she said. "And we... or maybe Hinata-kun... came up with the idea of organizing a sleepover. He told me to ask you for your opinions."

"A sleepover...?" Pekoyama muttered.

"Where, at the building?" Saionji asked, making her nod.

"Everyone could suggest something to do, so I think it's a good idea... Though we would have to ask Yukizome-san..."

"You can count me in," Owari said immediately. "I'll ask Hanamura to bring some food. Did you know he's awesome at cooking?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea for you to arrange something like this!" Maizono flashed them a smile. "We also used to organize some events in order to strengthen our bonds!"

"For example?" Pekoyama asked.

"Well, we had a karaoke night..."

"That sounds like fun! Chiaki-chan, can we also do karaoke?"

"I don't see a problem... Tsumiki-san, what do you think?" Nanami turned to the brunette.

"E-eh? I... I think it sounds nice..." She said, but didn't look all that convinced.

"Come on, don't be like that, Tsumiki!" Saionji yelled. "I promise not to bully you if you agree!"

"Then maybe we should hold a voting?" Sonia suggested. "Whoever supports the idea of Nanami-san's group, raise your hand."

To her delight, every single girl, except for Maizono, raised their hands.

"Organizing something like this may give us some trouble, but as long as we don't cause problems to anyone and just have fun, it's a nice idea. We'll have an occasion to take some photos," Koizumi said with a smile.

"I'll bring my guitar!" Mioda shouted.

"Then, I can bring some games!" Nanami said with excitement, but soon remembered her struggles up until now. "If you want, of course..."

"Let's see what kind of weird games you're playing," Owari laughed, dispelling her doubts.

"So, I can text them that you like the idea?" She asked to make sure, unlocking her phone.

"Of course," Sonia concluded. "Oh, you have that photo as your homescreen?"

"That's really sweet..." Tsumiki said quietly, looking at the picture of her, Hinata and Komaeda.

"Can I see?" Maizono asked, so Nanami simply showed her the device. "Seems like the main trio will always end up as best friends."

"So, Chiaki-chan, which one of them you like?" Koizumi sent her a knowing look.

"Huh?" She tilted her head to the side, not getting the question. "I think both?"

"A love triangle?!" Sonia yelled, covering her mouth with her hand and making Nanami even more confused.

"I don't think she meant it that way..." Maizono laughed awkwardly.

"Both Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun are really important friends to me..." Nanami said, hoping that would clear things up. "They were the first people to talk to me, they play games with me and hang out after work..."

"So... innocent," Pekoyama concluded. "Is that really all?"

"You're the one to talk, Peko-chan!" Mioda spoke up. "You're head over heels in love with Fuyuhiko-chan, don't think Ibuki can't see it!"

The gray-haired girl instantly flushed red. "I-It's not like this, I've already told you..."

"So, in the end we'll get some romance in the crew," Saionji snickered. "Big sis Sonia and big bro Tanaka are no fun, since they're already together."

"I'm telling you we're only friends-"

"Nobody believes you," Owari commented.

"Girls, when it comes to romance, Ibuki thinks we've got one more couple to hook up," Mioda added.

"H-huh? Who?" Tsumiki asked. "Since Nanami-san t-told us she's only friends with Hinata-san and Komaeda-san..."

"Ibuki's not talking about Chiaki-chan, because..." She grinned at them. "Ibuki's pretty sure Hajime-chan and Nagito-chan totally like each other!"

For a moment all of them fell silent, just looking at her.

“…where is that coming from?” Koizumi asked finally.

“Well, Ibuki can’t really speak for Nagito-chan, but she’s known Hajime-chan long enough to be able to tell when he has a crush on someone, and he’s totally into Nagito-chan right now.” Mioda shrugged her shoulders. “Is Ibuki the only one who can see it?”

“So… Hinata is gay?” Owari frowned.

“Maybe?” She replied. “Though Ibuki thinks it’s more like… When Hajime-chan likes someone, he just likes them. He doesn’t care about anything else.”

“I think it’s like that too,” Nanami added. “And… I think Mioda-san is right.”

“Oh…” Sonia uttered. “Now that you mention it… I can actually see it, to be honest.”

“I already said they’re going to be gay when I first saw them,” Saionji commented. “No big deal.”

“It’s true they’re always together… So I guess you’ll have your romance,” Koizumi sighed. “Just don’t tease them about it. Let them figure it out.”

“It’ll be more fun if you leave them to deal with this alone,” Maizono stated. “Makoto-kun and Kyouko-chan just kept blushing at each other and flirting without even knowing it. In the end, he couldn’t take it anymore and just asked her out while filming her final free time event. In front of everyone.”

“But did she agree?” Mioda asked.

“She did.”

“Yahoooo!”

So that’s how it felt to just sit with a group of girls and gossip about silly things.

It was… quite nice, Nanami thought, while writing the message to Hinata.

 

_They agreed to the sleepover. Don’t forget to ask on your side._

_***_

“So, I managed to trick Hagakure into breaking into Togami’s dressing room once. Like, theoretically we’ve made a bet that I’ll pay him if he brings something that belonged to him, but I just knew it would’t work, okay? And it didn’t. Ishimaru remembered that he forgot to lock the door and went back to do it, and Hagakure got stuck inside. Everyone was looking for him and only I knew where he was, but I obviously couldn’t tell them, because they’d figure out that it was my fault. So I just went back home,” Kuwata said in amused tone. “From what I remember, it was during the filming of chapter three. Eventually Kirigiri found him, but they probably still don’t know what Hagakure was doing in Togami’s dressing room."

“What the hell,” Souda concluded. “And I thought it’s our group that’s insane.”

“We’re just teenagers, what did you expect,” the red-haired boy replied.

“Hahah, that’s the spirit of youth!” Nidai laughed at full volume.

“Did it really look this way?” Hinata turned to Komaeda. He never really mentioned any embarrassing stories about Naegi and his friends.

“Ehm… pretty much?” He laughed. “Celes-san once forced me to play a chess game with her, since I am supposed to be lucky…”

“…and how did it turn out?” Kuzuryuu asked.

“I won and she kicked me out of the room,” Komaeda replied casually.

“She was furious. Apparently, she had never lost before,” Kuwata added.

“Incredible,” Tanaka stated, and his comment was immediately followed by Hinata’s one.

“Incredibly ridiculous.”

Komaeda giggled at that. “As much as I would love to stay here longer, I have to practice with Yukizome-san, so I’ll excuse myself now.”

Hinata sighed inwardly after hearing that sentence. Despite their conversation, the other boy still seemed annoyed and tired after these practice sessions with their supervisor. He felt uneasy, watching him leave the room.

“I’m still wondering how much of a weirdo he will turn out to be,” Souda commented after he disappeared from their sight.

“I think we already went though this,” Hinata replied instantly. Yeah, Souda certainly was making attempts of getting along with Komaeda better, but he was still doubtful, and Hinata had no intentions of putting up with this. If he had to defend Komaeda, he would.

“I know, but just can’t trust him. Something about him seems fake, ya know?” Souda said.

“You mean Komaeda?” Kuwata frowned. “He may be a little weird, but he’s generally a decent guy.”

“How can you know this?” Mitarai asked.

“I told ya, he used to hang out with us sometimes. Most of time he was really quiet and just watched us, but one time… Man, you should regret you couldn’t see that,” he laughed half-heartedly.

"What do you mean...?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

"You know, there was that chick, Enoshima. She never really honored us with her presence until the final trial, despite being a part of our crew. She probably didn't find us interesting enough... Anyway, when she finally had to make her appearance, she wasn't exactly the best companion. To be honest, she was terrible. Enoshima just kept pissing off everyone and teasing Naegi, and he... He's quick to defend others, but when he has to defend himself he just kind of gives up and lets it slide, like, he doesn't care enough to give a fuck. Kirigiri and Togami were on the verge of snapping at Enoshima, but it turned out someone had enough of her crap even more than them," Kuwata said.

"And that was Komaeda," Hinata concluded gloomily. They saw Komaeda snap once, and it wasn't anything nice.

"Exactly." Kuwata nodded. "He's always nice, so nobody expected him to pick a fight with someone like Enoshima... though it was in Naegi's case, so maybe we should've been surprised..."

"You're trying to tell us that..." Souda muttered.

"...Komaeda-kun picked a fight with the ultimate villain to defend his cousin?" Hanamura finished.

"Basically. Though it wasn't a normal fight. A normal fight is what Naegi was having with her when she was trying to mess with anyone else - it's yelling at each other and  generally being angry. In Komaeda's case it was more like a speech about the reasons why her presence there sucks. Man, it was quite a show. Everyone was a little weirded out, but at least he got Enoshima to shut up." Kuwata finished his story with a sigh.

"And what did he do next?" Souda asked.

"Nothing. He got banned from coming here anymore by Yukizome-san. I haven't seen him since then." He shrugged.

“I won’t lie, this sounds kind of… badass. But I’m still sure he’s a weirdo,” Souda stated anyway.

“Quick to defend someone else, but doesn’t seem to care about himself…” Mitarai mumbled. “From what you told us it’s easy to assume that Komaeda and Naegi are quite similar.”

The red-haired boy gave them an unsure look. “At the same time they are, and they aren’t at all. You would understand only after meeting both of them at the same time.”

Now Hinata really wanted to meet Naegi. Maybe after talking to him he would understand Komaeda better…

That’s when he got a message. He quickly opened it to see it was from Nanami.

“It’s not related to anything we’ve been talking about, but I was supposed to ask you about something,” he spoke up after reading the text. ”Anyone up for a sleepover here? We came up with that some time ago, and Nanami asked the girls today. They agreed."

"...all of them? Even Peko?" Kuzuryuu frowned.

"Well, she says that all of them, so Pekoyama probably too." Hinata shrugged. "Feeling obliged to agreeing yet?"

"Shut up, me agreeing has nothing to do with Peko!" He yelled.

"So you agree."

"You-"

“I’m in, of course!” Nidai stated loudly enough to make Hinata cringe.

“If Sonia decided to take part in this… Then I cannot refuse,” Tanaka said, leaving him in shock, as it was the first time he’d heard him calling her normally, by her name.

“Yeah, me too!” Souda exclaimed enthusiastically. “I wouldn’t waste a chance to spend more time in Sonia-san’s presence."

“When will you let it go…” Mitarai sighed. “If you’re so set on this, then I can as well go along with your plan.”

“I also agree!” Hanamura, said, looking at Hinata suggestively. “You know, if we’re sleeping here then I can-“

“No, you can’t,” he interrupted him. “Whatever you wanted to say, you can’t. Okay, me and Komaeda are obviously in, so… I think we can talk to Yukizome-san when the girls are back.”

He was glad that they all supported their idea, especially after he managed to make Komaeda believe he’s also a part of their group, but… something about what Kuwata had told them was bugging him.

Komaeda got banned from coming to watch the cousin he’s idolizing so much because he had picked a fight with an actress. After they got casted, he kept ensuring Yukizome that he won’t cause her any trouble… Now everything seemed to make more sense, but… Was that really all behind him constantly being worried about ruining something?

***

“We’ll be going then,” Maizono said when their group had returned. “I’m sure you have a lot of work even without us here.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Maizono-san.” Sonia bowed to her gracefully. “I hope we can see each other again.”

“It was fun for me too.” Kuwata grinned at them. “You’re nice enough to already make me pity you when Enoshima shows up.”

“Ugh,” Komaeda uttered involuntarily.

“See you again some time!” Maizono added at last, grabbing Kuwata’s hand and pulling him towards the exit. “Bye bye, Yukizome-san!”

“See ya!”

“Visit us again, Leon-chan, Sayaka-chan!” Mioda kept waving at them even after they’d already disappeared from her sight.

“So, what do you think of them?” Yukizome asked with a smile.

“Ibuki’s so excited she could pass out any moment.”

Souda made a scared face. “That’s not good. That’s definitely not good!”

“They’re… much more normal that I would’ve expected,” Hinata said. “But in a good way.”

Tsumiki nodded in confirmation. “Y-yeah… It made me think that they’re normal people too…”

“We’ve heard enough embarrassing stories about Makoto Naegi to make us look rather decent,” Saionji snickered.

“Ah, that,” Yukizome laughed. “Naegi-kun could be quite entertaining sometimes.”

“Anyway, we wanted to ask you something,” Sonia spoke up. “Nanami-san, go ahead.”

“Me?” She pointed at herself in surprise. “I don’t think I should…”

“No, just say it,” Owari encouraged her.

“What is it?

“Ehm… Yukizome-san…” She began hesitantly. “We’ve thought about… organizing a sleepover here? To bring us all together and strengthen our bonds… so we could spend time together and do something other than our work…”

“Isn’t that a wonderful idea, Yukizome-san?” Komaeda decided to help her. “Everyone already agreed to that, but we need your help to make it happen. And of course also your company!”

When Nanami gave him a grateful look he only smiled at her, and Hinata kind of felt proud of both of them. Maybe it was stupid, but… that probably just showed how important they’d became to him.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Yukizome stated. “I was expecting for you to suggest something like this sooner or later… and my reply is of course ‘yes’. I will be more than happy to keep you company!”

“Hooray!” Mioda shouted happily. “So, when are we going to do that?!”

“Let’s see…” The woman wondered. “We need some time to make preparations, and I was also thinking of showing you something, and this seems to be the perfect occasion… Give me a week, maybe a week and half, and I guarantee you we’ll organize the best sleepover ever!”

Even those who were hesitant before now seemed a bit more excited, hearing her words. It was like nobody even dared to doubt her, because she always seemed to want the best for them.

So, when everybody was getting ready to go back to work, Hinata approached her discreetly.

“Thank you, Yukizome-san.”

“Huh? For what?” She seemed surprised.

“For everything, I guess.”

“Hinata-kun, don’t stay behind!” Komaeda called out to him and waved his hand.

“You’re the one to talk,” he laughed and went to join him, leaving the woman behind before she could ask him what’s gotten into him. It’s not like he could explain it without acting out of character. And…

It’s not like she didn’t deserve a ‘thank you’, right?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I'm not happy with this chapter, like, I kind of feel that it was the most boring one so far... Though I also feel that part of it was needed here, while the other part was just me wanting to mention my DR1 kids.  
> I'm planning on making the next chapter really cute, so I hope you forgive me this time!


	12. Side by side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out to be so long (it's over 10k words) that I was worried I won't manage to finish it on time, but here I am!
> 
> In today's chapter: the sleepover!

“Where the heck is she?” Mioda asked him, bouncing impatiently in one spot with her guitar case on her back. They were standing on a platform, waiting for their train, which was supposed to arrive in about two minutes. Today was the day of their planned sleepover, and both of them had already checked like five times if they had everything they needed… but they were missing one thing. Or maybe one person.

That person was obviously Nanami.

“If she overslept again it’s going to be a problem…” he muttered. “I’ll text her. I hope she answers…”

She really did – the response was almost instant.

 

_I’m sorry but I probably won’t make it in time. Could you tell Yukizome-san I’ll be late? I’ll apologize to her myself…_

 

It was almost as if he predicted it. Goddammit, Nanami.

He tried to reconsider his options. Even if he tried to rush her, there was no way of doing it over a distance. No matter how much he liked her… She was indeed slow. He also couldn’t just wait for her, that would slow down all of them. The protagonist just had to be present. So… what’s left is…

He sighed heavily as he picked his mother’s number on his contact list.

Hinata hated relying on his parents. He has felt let down too many times to still expect anything from them. When he was in middle school he still had some faith in them and somehow believed that they cared, but they even missed the most important plays he took part in… so he stopped wanting anything from them. It was kind of fine this way.

But now… it was the only option he could think of.

“ _Mom? Are you still at home?_ ” He asked when she picked up.

“ _I am. Did something happen, Hajime?”_

_“Nothing, but… I need help. How much time you have left?”_

_“About an hour. What is it? If I can help you in any way, I’ll do it.”_

_“My friend is late for the train. Can you…”_ He had to force himself to finish the question. _“Can you give me and her a lift? I don’t want her to get in trouble.”_

His mother didn’t even need time to think about it. _“Of course! I’ll finally be able to meet one of your new friends, that’s enough of a motivation for me.”_

_“Then I’ll text her our address. She lives somewhere nearby, so it won’t be a problem. I’ll also be back soon.”_

After that he hanged up and sighed again. He felt as if his honor had suffered because of this.

“You go ahead, Mioda,” he muttered. “I’ll make sure she’s on time.”

“Is it really fine to ask your mom, Hajime-chan?” She asked with worry in her voice. “You never seemed to get along…”

“It’s not like we don’t get along. We don’t have time for that,” Hinata replied, already texting his address to Nanami with some short explanations. “It shouldn’t take us long, but tell Yukizome-san everything’s fine, okay?”

His friend saluted to him. “Ibuki understood, Hajime-chan!”

He gave her a forced smile and hurried back home, only to find his mother already waiting for him in the hallway.

“It’s unusual for you to ask me for help,” she said hesitantly.

“If it wasn’t for Nanami, I wouldn’t have done that,” he replied.

“So her name’s Nanami?” His mother asked with a smile.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned her name before.”

An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Hinata suddenly felt guilt washing over him for behaving like this. He by any means didn’t hate his parents, definitely no, but… despite that, things were always turning out wrong.

The silence was finally interrupted by quiet knock on the door. Hinata immediately went to open it, glad that Nanami for once actually hurried…

And also quite surprised to see the suitcase standing behind her.

“Hello, Hinata-kun,” she said sleepily. “Sorry for being late and troubling you…”

“It’s fine, but…” He sent a glance at the suitcase. “What the hell did you put in here?”

“Equipment, of course!” Nanami exclaimed with a sudden enthusiasm, raising her clenched fists. “I promised to bring games… so I also had to pack the consoles, right? And I also took my laptop with me… but I was using it at night so I almost forgot it… and that’s partially the reason why I’m late.”

“…why did I even ask.”

That’s when Nanami noticed his mother.

“Ah, I’m sorry for not greeting you,” she said shyly, looking down. “My name is Chiaki Nanami. It’s nice to meet you, Hinata-san…”

“You don’t have to be so official,” she laughed. “Hajime’s friends are always welcomed here. Though he doesn’t have many of them…”

“Mom-“

“Can I call you Chiaki?” She asked the girl, who nodded with a smile. “You’re not by any chance Hajime’s girlfriend?”

“MOM-“

Nanami immediately shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Oh. It’s a shame, you’re such a pretty girl.” His mother continued to embarrass him. “Then maybe you know if there’s someone Hajime likes?”

The girl brought one finger to her mouth, as if thinking of an answer. “I think there is…”

“NANAMI-“

“They’re also really pretty,” Nanami added, ignoring his protests.

“So when will I meet them, Hajime?”

“Probably never,” he said, his face most likely completely red. “I’m done talking with you two, also, we don’t have time for that. I’ll take that suitcase, so let’s hurry.”

“Just be careful…” Nanami muttered. “This is some delicate stuff…”

“I know, I know…”

They probably noticed that they’ve crossed the line, as they didn’t mention Hinata liking anyone again… Though now he was completely sure Nanami was perfectly aware of his stupid crush on Komaeda. Goddammit.

On their way to the building they mostly stayed quiet, but…

“Oh, Hinata-kun, look.” Nanami pointed at something outside the window when they were almost at their destination. “Komaeda-kun’s there.”

He was right. It was definitely him, walking towards the building with a large backpack.

Now, of all times…

“Who’s that?” Hinata’s mother asked.

“Our friend from the cast,” Nanami replied. “Hinata-san, do you think we can take him with us?”

“I don’t see a problem,” she said, and Nanami instantly lowered the window’s glass as they approached the boy closer.

“Komaeda-kun!” Nanami called out to him in order to draw his attention. There weren’t any other cars, so his mother slowed down, and completely stopped as the boy turned to them.

“Nanami-san? And… Hinata-kun?” He tilted his head to the side. “Hello…”

“Get inside,” Hinata said. “We’ll give you a lift.”

He looked at them with his brows knitted in confusion, but complied and chose the side Hinata was sitting on. As always he was going to be squeezed between him and Nanami…

“Probably never, huh…” Nanami whispered to him softly, so his mother wouldn’t heard that, reminding him of his words from no more than twenty minutes ago.

“Please, don’t do this to me,” he whispered back.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t,” she giggled, seeing his panicked expression.

“Good morning,” Komaeda said to his parent when he made himself comfortable next to Hinata, his backpack on his lap. “You must be Hinata-kun’s mom, right? I’m Nagito Komaeda…”

“Nice to meet you, Nagito-kun,” she replied cheerfully, not even bothering herself to ask if she could use his first name. For a moment Hinata felt envious, but he also knew he would be too embarrassed to just call Komaeda ‘Nagito’.”

“So now you know both of my two closest friends,” he sighed. “Happy?”

“A little. Don't worry, I won't cause you any more shame."

"Did something happen?" Komaeda asked.

"Nothing," Nanami and him said at the same time once again.

"Somehow I feel that I've missed something..." The other boy sighed. Hinata momentarily got scared that he felt left out, but he seemed to be quite amused.

Was he really this easy to make fun of?

"Your mom's nice..." Nanami commented when they've left the car, as she waved her goodbye.

"She's always like that, but it doesn't mean anything," he said, then immediately regretted it, recalling Nanami's family situation. He didn't know any details, but...

"I don't know..." Nanami muttered. "I barely remember my mom..."

"...why is that?" Komaeda asked, clearly surprised. Right. Nanami told it only to him...

"My parents died in an accident when I was really small," she said, sadness lingering in her voice. "I was raised by my older sister, Usami... and Chihiro's family really helped us, so it was okay."

"I'm sorry..." Komaeda looked away.  Now he probably felt bad for asking.

"It's fine." Nanami shook her head and managed to smile. "I’ve always had my sister, Chihiro, uncle and aunt, so I wasn't lonely." She began walking in the direction of the door, then turned to them one last time. "And now I also have Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun, right?"

Hinata thought that Nanami was a strong person. Much stronger than she looked at first glance, and much more positive than he would expect of someone like her... and yet he was complaining about his parents not having time for him...

"Of course," Komaeda replied to her question. "I... kind of admire you now, Nanami-san."

"There's no need for that," she laughed. "Let's go, we shouldn't be late."

Hinata still couldn't read Komaeda's reactions, but... he seemed genuinely sad. He really wanted to ask what's wrong... but he was kind of afraid of the answer.

Instead of that, he grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him along, just like Mioda used to do to him.

"Come on, don't give me that look. This is supposed to be a fun day."

"I've... asked something stupid, right?" He said quietly.

"I reacted the same way," Hinata replied. "And I don't really think Nanami minds that. She trusts us."

"Me too...?"

Hinata smiled at him. "You too, so... Give us a little more credit."

"...okay," he sighed. "It's still hard to believe for me though..."

"One day, I want you to tell me why," Hinata admitted.

"It's nothing special, I can..."

"No. I want you to trust me the way Nanami trusts us, not to tell me because you think I requested this from you."

"...I understand," he muttered. "For now, we have to catch up to Nanami-san and get our work done. Today we're filming the party, right?"

"And the first murder case... So, that's it when it comes to having a fun day."

***  

 

Hinata could tell that everyone was excited about the sleepover, but despite that, the filming was progressing quite slowly. Probably because of the scenes they were recording…

Komaeda seemed stressed out because it was his character who’d planned all of this. Mitarai was nervous for obvious reasons, and Hanamura also seemed out of it… Hinata too couldn’t help but get disheartened while playing a person who was about to get betrayed by someone he’s considered his closest friend. It was even worse than during rehearsals, even though Yukizome kept telling them that they’re acting well and their attitude wasn’t visible at all.

The only highlight of that was probably Saionji being the one to trip over something during the blackout. It was quite ironic, how her character was the first to make fun of Tsumiki’s after she fell down in that scene.

“This… substance stinks,” Mitarai stated while crawling out of from under the table. He pointed at his clothes, stained with the pink paint imitating blood. They even kept that absurd pink color…

“Sorry, we can’t do anything about it,” Yukizome laughed awkwardly. “What’s with this atmosphere…”

“We’ve just lost a friend,” Saionji said.

“I’m not dead,” Mitarai spoke up.

“Sometimes I still can hear his voice,” she added.

Mioda tried to stop herself from giggling. “Did Hiyoko-chan just-“

“I did,” Saionji exclaimed with a smile, making the other girl laugh.

“I can’t believe it’s Saionji who tries to lighted the mood with memes,” Kuzuryuu said with a frown.

"Someone has to do it. I don't want to look at your ugly, gloomy faces."

"I think our work is done for today," Yukizome sighed. "Though I'm not sure if we won't have to redo this scene tomorrow. Nobody seems to be feeling it right now..."

"It's hard to feel anything when you're dead," Mitarai said.

"A moment ago you were insisting you're not dead!" Souda yelled.

"All human beings are at least partially dead inside," Tanaka stated.

"What are you saying, Gundam-chan?!"

"Actually, I would prefer to stay dead. I don't want to use this pink thing again," Mitarai said.

"I'll check how it's turned out tomorrow, okay?" Yukizome laughed. "But... Komaeda-kun, before the blackout you were supposed to stay further away from everyone else, to make things more believable. If you stick this close to Hinata-kun, there's no way for you to set up the trap."

"Sorry..."

"If we'll have to redo everything because of big bro Komaeda then I'm going to be really mad." Saionji sent him a glare, what caused him to become even more sullen.

"Sorry...?" He said one more time, sounding more irritated.

"Come on, don't blame each other." Yukizome lightly stroke Saionji on the head with the script she had in her hand. "So... if we're done with this for now... then we can move onto things that are more fun!"

"Finally!" Mioda shouted happily.

"You can go take a shower and change, also bring whatever you took with you, and in the meantime I'll ask someone to help me prepare the room for us," Yukizome said. They've chosen the hotel restaurant room of course, since it was big enough and could easily serve some other purpose for one night.

After her words they went to their dressing rooms, still in pretty mediocre moods.

"Can I take a shower first?" Hinata asked his partner. "I'll hurry, so you'll have more time..."

Komaeda only nodded, taking off the wig and his green coat.

_We should've chosen some other day..._

Hinata could only hope he would cheer up later. The other boy seemed to like having him around, so... he will come up with something if he needs to.

When he was checking his phone while waiting for Komaeda, he heard something like soft humming coming from the bathroom. Overcoming the urge to laugh, he tried to listen closer.

"So he's the type to sing in the shower, huh..." Hinata muttered to himself, sitting down next to the door. At the same time the new discovery amused him and made him want to listen... Of course he already knew that Komaeda had a really pleasant voice, he loved listening to him talking. He wasn't even surprised that it was no different when it came to singing, even though his voice was muffled by the door and running water.

 

_I have no need for worthless things - anything ordinary and boring_

_What meaning is there to words that will neither be deadly poison nor cure?_

_I don’t care if nobody understands me_

_It’ll only take one second for the world of our beliefs to fall apart, after all…_

Hinata almost immediately realized that he knew that song, but then went back to simply listening without thinking about anything.

So he found another thing he liked about Komaeda, huh… It seemed that there were more and more of them. Sure, there were still things he found annoying, but it seemed really insignificant compared to everything he considered interesting or endearing.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice when the door opened and the subject of his not-so-platonic feelings has left the bathroom.

“Hinata-kun? What are you doing?” Komaeda asked hesitantly. “Don’t tell me you’ve been…”

“…listening to you singing in the shower? Don’t worry, it wasn’t a bad performance,” Hinata chuckled awkwardly. He gladly welcomed the sight of Komaeda’s cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. Usually it was him to get flustered over small things.

“I… Sorry…”

“No, seriously, I mean it,” he interrupted him. “You have a really nice voice, so there’s no need to be this ashamed. Though I would probably be, too...” Hinata stood up from his place on the floor. “Was that Suzuki’s character song?”

Komaeda looked away. “Yeah… It was kind of stuck in my head the whole day? I just couldn’t get rid of it…”

“I actually like this song, you know?” He picked the icon of a music player on his phone and found the right track. “You see? I even have it here. His voice actress is amazing, and the song is good on its own, so I ended up downloading it.”

“Oh…”

“Though now, knowing that I have such an amazing singer right under my nose, I wouldn’t mind a cover of-“

That’s when Komaeda smacked him on the shoulder, looking like someone who totally wanted to crawl into a hole. “Just let it slide, please.”

“Your t-shirt too?” Hinata laughed, pointing at what he was wearing. He only noticed it now, but it seemed that Komaeda used a gray, loose t-shirt with Monomi on it as his sleeping clothes. “It’s cute, really.”

“I-it was a present,” he muttered, even more flustered. “Komaru gave it to me on my birthday, and I actually like it, so…”

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Hinata said. “Sorry, I didn’t want to sound that mean. To be honest, I wanted you to respond to that so you would cheer up a bit.”

“You have some weird methods,” he replied, but in the end let out a laugh. The goal was achieved.

“Right, you mentioned that this t-shirt was a birthday present. I’ve never got to ask you when is it,” Hinata realized.

“It’s 28th April.”

“So there’s a lot of time to your next birthday, huh… I have time to think about a present for you.”

"Huh? In April... we'll be already long since done with filming..." Komaeda seemed surprised. For a moment Hinata couldn't understand why, but the realization finally hit him.

"Wait... don't tell me... You thought we'll lose touch after we're finished with working here?"

Komaeda nodded. "Why would you want to keep being around me?"

"Are you stupid?" Hinata said with a frown, pinching his forehead. "How many times I'll have to say that? We're friends. Not simply colleagues from work. FRIENDS, you blockhead. Or maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way?"

"No!" Komaeda replied instantly. "Of course not! I want to keep spending time with Hinata-kun even after that..."

"So?"

"Huh?"

"I'm waiting for you to realize what you should say."

He fell silent for a moment, staring at him and seemingly not having a clue what Hinata was getting at. Then, suddenly, his eyes went wide as he understood it.

"Oh. That's what you meant, when you..." Komaeda gave him a shy smile, then it turned into a bright grin. "Sorry for doubting you. I know it seems fake to say it now, but I believe in you. It's just hard to switch into expressing it."

Well, that's some progress. Slow, but it's definitely there.

"I get it," he sighed, pulling at the towel Komaeda had around his neck and putting it back on his head. "Haven't I told you already to dry your hair?"

"I'll tie them and it'll be fine..."

"No, you lazy idiot."

Without thinking much, Hinata began gently rubbing the towel against Komaeda's damp hair.

"...Hinata-kun?"

"Don't say anything," he muttered. He knew that he was probably crossing the line, but he just couldn't help himself. "That won't do..." Hinata moved away from Komaeda and went to the bathroom to grab the hairdryer the other boy never bothered to use and come back. He immediately plugged it in. "Sit down."

"What are you even doing?" Komaeda laughed at him, but then he just turned the hairdryer on and for a moment directed the stream of hot air at his face. "Uh!"

"I'm intending on drying your goddamn hair, so stop complaining and sit down."

"I can do it..."

"From what I remember, you actually can't, dumbass."

"If you wanted to play with my hair that much, you could've told me," Komaeda tried to tease him.

"Just shut up," Hinata muttered, forcibly making him sit on one of the chairs and turning the hairdryer on again, this time using it properly.

He began gently running his fingers through Komaeda's brown hair, while letting the hot air scatter it in every direction. Now he finally had a chance to figure out how soft his hair was... and he wasn't disappointed. It was a bit tangled in some places, so he had to be careful, but once again it seemed that Komaeda was reluctant only at first and actually didn’t have anything against Hinata touching his hair.

It was the opposite. At some point he closed his eyes and slightly leaned into Hinata’s touch, quite obviously enjoying it. Cute. Definitely cute. Almost too much for him to handle. He should stop giving Komaeda opportunities to look so adorable in his eyes. He almost felt like hugging him, even though he was never that touchy-feely kind of person.

“Do you have a hair tie?” He asked after putting the hairdryer on the table.

“Yhm, wait a moment.” Komaeda reached into the pocket of his sleeping pants, pulled it out and handed to Hinata. He took it and tried to combine his hair into a ponytail, and after a moment he finally managed to do it, even though he had to leave some strands here and there.

“Here, now you’re ready for this goddamn slumber party, so let’s get out of here or Mioda will lose her patience and storm into this room to drag us out.”

“Thanks, Hinata-kun!” He smiled at him cheerily. “No one has ever done something like that for me, so it made me pretty happy!”

_Oh god. Stop doing that._

“Good. Now come on,” he said only, somehow pushing all this annoying thoughts away. He picked up his sleeping bag and turned to the door without another word, and Komaeda obediently followed him.

Most of their friends were already in the room, finding themselves a place and chatting with each other. Hinata spotted Nanami and Souda trying to make her equipment work, and Yukizome helping them connect her laptop to the projector so they could play the games on a bigger screed for everyone to see. He also noticed Hanamura setting some food on the table, while Mitarai and Owari stared at it intensively. To his relief, everyone seemed to be in better moods than while filming.

“You’re late,” Mitarai said.

“I didn’t know we had a time limit?” Hinata muttered.

“Don’t mind Ryota-chan, we didn’t!” Mioda laughed from her place near the equipment group. “But-“ She fell silent for a moment, her eyed going wide. “Oh my god, Nagito-chan looks so cute like this!”

Nanami looked up from her laptop end turned to them, then smiled, probably noticing Komaeda’s embarrassing t-shirt. Tsumiki and Sonia, who, as Hinata noted, was wearing a Totoro kigurumi, also gave him a smile.

“You’re overreacting, Mioda-san…”

“No, seriously, Nagito-chan in a ponytail is something Ibuki didn’t know she needed.” She nodded, folding her hands. “Ibuki bets Hajime-chan played his part in this!”

“Yeah, he did,” Komaeda replied casually.

“OH MY-“

“DON’T SAY ANYTHING, MIODA.”

“It’s workings!” Nanami suddenly exclaimed, when the projector started showing the desktop of her laptop. “Thank you a lot, Souda-kun!”

“It’s nothing.” He scratched his neck awkwardly, but it was clear he was proud of himself. “I’m quite good when it comes to electronics…”

“Aww, Chiaki-chan has a fanart of Nana-chan, Hiroki-chan and Ryuusei-chan as her desktop background!” Mioda pointed at the projection. “That’s Ibuki’s OT3!”

“What…?” She muttered in confusion, looking for help from Hinata and Komaeda who were settling themselves on the floor near to them.

“Seems like you aren’t much of a shipper,” Hinata laughed.

“You’re probably right…” Nanami nodded. “I’ve seen people arguing about their ships on the internet, but to me it seems kind of pointless…”

“I agree,” he said. “And you, Komaeda?”

“You mean if I ship anything…?” He asked hesitantly. “Mostly Rei and Kanata, I guess… but after spending some time listening to Komaru talking about her own ships, I’ve started liking some others…”

“So also similar to us…”

Yukizome for a moment stared at the laptop, then turned to Nanami. “Would you mind if I used it?”

“Of course not,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” the woman replied warmly, pulling something out of her pocket. These pockets seemed to contain honestly everything… Hinata was quite surprised to see that this time it was a pen-drive. “Could you all gather here?” She said in the direction of the rest of the group. “I wanted to show you something!”

“…what is that?” Pekoyama asked, glancing longingly at Tanaka, who somehow smuggled the hamsters with him. It seemed that him and those little guys had become best friends over these few weeks, and the gray-haired girl was also pretty fond of them… but without reciprocity.

“The effect of our work!” She exclaimed, inserting it into the USB port. “I’ve asked people taking care of putting everything together to complete one episode so I can show it to you. Beside them and me, you’re going to be the first people to watch a final version!”

“Oh shit,” Kuzuryuu uttered. “You’re seriously going to let us watch it!?”

“Yup!” Yukizome nodded. “Everyone ready?”

“Just play it, I want to see!” Saionji shouted, already moving closed, followed by Koizumi and Tsumiki.

“You didn’t change even one bit, Saionji-san,” the woman sighed. “During the announcement of the audition results you also tried to rush me…”

“Sorry, it’s still the same old me.”

With a laugh Yukizome opened the file and sat back to watch it with them. Someone turned the lights off. Everyone instantly fell silent, and with the corner of his eye Hinata could see Komaeda shifting closer to him, as they heard the sound of sea waves from the speakers Souda helped connect to the laptop.

Yukizome showed them fragments of the material more than once before, but there was no way to compare those bits and pieces to a full episode. They chose only the moments they were acting perfectly, no stuttering, no forgetting their lines, no unplanned awkwardness. Everything was put together really professionally, also the perspective and soundtrack.

“Aren’t we… kinda cool?” Souda asked quietly at some point.

“Hahah, of course we are!” Nidai patted him on the shoulder, nearly changing his sitting place with it.

Hinata at first felt embarrassed watching himself on a screen this big, but after a moment he nearly forgot that it was really him.

“ _Anyway, I’ll help out too, so… Why don’t we being making your introductions?”_ The Komaeda on the screen said.

 _“O-okay… you’re right…”_ Hinata’s hesitant voice followed this, showing his uncertainty, then the camera went back to Komaeda… or maybe Suzuki, who smiled at him carefreely, then turned away.

_“Then follow me! Don’t worry, everything will be alright!”_

After Yokohama eventually decided to trust him, the scene slowly faded to black, leaving place for the credits.

“Seeing your own name here seems so freaking wild,” Owari commented. “Though it feels great.”

“That’s exactly what you’ve achieved together. If someone still couldn’t believe they’re capable of this, now they have to,” Yukizome stated. “Because I’m really proud of you and these effects, and I’m sure the audience will also love it.”

“I can’t imagine them… not liking this,” Nanami said, still staring at the screen, completely mesmerized.

“Right, right!” Koizumi added. “We’re totally amazing!”

“You heard, Komaeda?” Hinata said to him quietly. “Good work.”

“Same to you, Hinata-kun,” he replied with a smile that warmed his heart. Damn. He was already in too deep.

“It was Chisa-chan’s goal, right? To get everyone back into good moods!” Mioda looked at Yukizome as if she figured her out… and it seemed that it really was the case, as she nodded at that statement.

“So, what are we doing next?” Souda asked. “We were supposed to play Nanami’s games, right?”

Her eyes widened slightly, glimmering in the dim light coming from the screens. “Yeah! But who goes first? And which game we choose? I have a lot of them!”

“To make it fair, let’s draw the players,” Mitarai suggested, reaching for a bottle of water standing on the table. “Is ‘spin the bottle’ a good enough method for you? We can choose a game after the players are decided.”

“But shouldn’t the bottle be empty for that…?” Sonia asked, but Owari didn’t seem to see a problem, as she snatched the bottle from Mitarai’s hands and drank its content in pretty much one gulp.

“Now it’s empty.”

“Hey, that was mine water! Mine!” He yelled at the girl, but she just shrugged.

“If ya want to, I can go and buy you another one.”

“That’s not the issue!”

“Stop arguing and just spin that fucking bottle, idiots!” Kuzuryuu shouted, and instead of waiting for them to do that he took it from Owari and put it on the ground. “Ready!?”

“Please, just do it finally,” Pekoyama sighed.

The first person at which the bottle pointed turned out to be Souda.

“So, what kind of game do you want to play?” Nanami asked with excitement in her voice. Most likely she wasn’t even going to play this time, but she seemed happy even without that.

“Have any racing games here?”

“Of course! Do you want a player two?”

“I guess it would be nice to compete against someone…” Souda muttered, taking the bottle and spinning it one more time. And…

This time it pointed at Hanamura.

“Oh god…”

“Ohoho? I’m glad I get to play with Souda-kun!” He exclaimed. “Maybe let’s set a prize for the winner, what do you think?”

“Save me-“

“If I win let me see you na-“

“Stop right there, Teruteru-chan!” Mioda yelled, jumping right in between the scared pink-haired boy and the other, currently in his perverted mood. “Ibuki’s going to protect Kazuichi-chan’s innocence!”

“What innocence,” Saionji snarked in the background. “He’s a pervert too.”

“Doesn’t matter, Ibuki’s here to protect him!”

“You’re not making it any easier,” he whined. “I don’t need a girl protecting me!”

“But this is very sweet of Mioda-san,” Sonia stated.

“Well, if she wants to go in Souda-kun’s state, then I don’t mind!” Hanamura exclaimed, making Hinata shudder. Gross. He wanted to speak up, feeling that it was his time to protect his friend’s dignity, but someone beat him to do it.

“I would appreciate if you stopped making comments like that about our friends, Hanamura-kun,” Komaeda said in a firm voice. “That’s really rude and scares them.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment, turning to look at him. He and Hinata were still sitting close enough so he could feel Komaeda shifting with unease under all these looks, probably already wondering if he had done something wrong, even though Hinata was certain it was the total opposite.

“That was cool, Komaeda-san,” Tsumiki commented shyly.

“That’s something a real man would say!” Koizumi added, and Owari nodded, while stuffing her mouth with the food from the table. “Hanamura, you should learn how to behave from him!”

A moment ago afraid, now Komaeda was blushing heavily under the girls’ compliments. Hinata almost wanted to laugh at how simple he sometimes was, but… It wasn’t really a reason to laugh. He understood that Komaeda was just happy to be useful.

“Hey, guys, are we going to play or not?” Souda brought them back to the initial topic. “I’m not accepting any bets from Hanamura, and for god’s sake, Mioda, you can move back, you’re being a pain in the ass.”

“Rude!” She muttered, but complied to his request.

“So… I can start up the game?” Nanami asked. Hinata wasn’t sure if she even tried to follow their conversation.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Three, two, one… start!”

***

In the end Souda won, so nothing bad awaited him. As the winner he had the right to spin the bottle this time, and…

It pointed at Kuzuryuu.

“Any requests about the type of game?” Nanami asked the standard question.

“I’m fine with the same one as before,” he stated, taking the bottle and making it move again.

His player two turned out to be Pekoyama.

“Oh crap…”

“So it’s my turn…” She said, moving closer to take the pad. “I won’t go easy on you just because we’re friends, Fuyuhiko.”

“I fucking know that, that’s why I said that.” Kuzuryuu looked pretty panicked, desperately holding onto his own pad.

“You’re going so down, Fuyuhiko-chan.”

“Rest in pieces, big bro Kuzuryuu.”

“Loss is not anything shameful. There are times when a man has to admit defeat.”

“Shut up, assholes!” Kuzuryuu snapped at Mioda, Saionji and Tanaka. “I haven’t lost yet!”

“But even you see that you’re about to lose,” Hinata pointed out.

“Three, two, one…” Nanami did her countdown once again. “Start!”

And just like this, Kuzuryuu showed them a splendid example of being a loser.

***

“Hey, what about plugging in a third pad? The maximum number of players in this game is three,” Nanami said when they were about to do another draw.

“Do it, do it! Maybe Ibuki will finally get to play!”

“Okay!”

While she moved to pull the third pad out of her suitcase, Pekoyama spun the bottle once again.

“It points at you, Nanami-san!” Komaeda called out to her.

“Oh? Give me a moment… And spin the bottle for me, Komaeda-kun…”

The person chosen as the second player was Tsumiki.

“M-me? But I can’t play video games…” She said nervously, clutching at the fabric of her pajamas. “I d-don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“Don’t worry, Tsumiki-san!” Nanami turned back to them. “Games are about having fun, not winning, so… Please, choose the third player!”

Tsumiki hesitantly took the bottle and forced it to move again, and the person it landed on was Mitarai. Quite a weird trio. It took a moment for Nanami to patiently explain everything to the other girl, but after that, they finally got to playing.

“Hinata-kun, do the countdown!”

“Three, two… wait, you’re already playing!”

“Where are you driving, stupid woman!?” Saionji yelled when Tsumiki’s vehicle almost left the road.

“I-I’m sorry!” She squeaked, and, to everyone surprise, managed get her car back to the route without losing sight of her opponents.

“Look, you’re doing pretty great, Mikan-chan!” Koizumi encouraged her while she kept chasing Mitarai and Nanami. Hinata was pretty sure that they purposely kept the distance between them small, so Tsumiki would still have a chance.

And he was right. It became obvious when they exchanged looks and discretely nodded at each other. After that Mitarai, seemingly by accident, turned left – driving perfectly into Nanami’s car. They both ended up on the roadside and a moment later they got passed by a very surprised Tsumiki.

“W-what just happened?” She asked, trying not to look away from the screen.

“Sorry. Pressed the wrong botton,” Mitarai replied.

“It’s fine, Mitarai-kun, it happens sometimes,” Nanami muttered. “At this point, there’s no way for us to catch up to Tsumiki-san, I think.”

“E-eh?”

“You go, Tsumiki!” Saionji unexpectedly exclaimed, moving closer. “For once you can be the winner!”

And just like that, she passed the finish line, looking at the screen, then at the pad, then at the screen once again with wide eyes.

“N-no way… I won…”

“You did it, Tsumiki-san!” Komaeda said cheerfully, extending his hand to her to do a high-five with her. The girl hesitantly returned his gesture, a shy, but happy smile forming on her lips.

“T-thanks…?”

“Hey, Nanami, weren’t you supposed to always be the winner?” Owari laughed.

“A matter of circumstances, I think.”

 _Circumstances, my ass. You did that on purpose,_ Hinata thought, but he would never say it out loud.

***

“Finally Ibuki’s turn! Ibuki wants to play some fighting game!” Mioda yelled after the bottle landed on her.

“Can do,” Nanami muttered, looking for something that would meet her expectations. “Spin it one more time, Mioda-san. You need an opponent.”

Mioda’s player two turned out to be Komaeda.

“I already know she will lose,” Hinata whispered to Nanami.

“Shh, Hinata-kun. She doesn’t need to know it.” The girl put a finger over her mouth, then turned to Mioda and Komaeda, both holding the pads and staring at the screen – the former basically jumping in her place from excitement, the latter laughing half-heartedly at her. “You ready?”

“Of course! Just let us start already!”

“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to-“ Komaeda began, but the round already began, two characters standing in front of each other. Mioda immediately moved her own in his direction.

“What are you doing? Don’t just stand like this!” Souda moved closer to Komaeda.

“Eh?”

“Press this button,” he said, pressing it himself and making his character hit Mioda’s. “You see?”

“Is Kazuichi-chan cheering on Nagito-chan instead of me?!” She yelled, giving them a side-glance. “Not fair! Why?!”

“Because you’re a pain in the ass and Komaeda could handle Hanamura better,” Souda replied. “Also, at least you know what you’re supposed to do!”

“Ibuki smells the stench of betrayal,” she whined as her character got sent flying again.

“Come on, you can do it without my help!”

“But I’m losing!”

“Ah, sorry,” Komaeda laughed. “It seems that thanks to Souda-kun I’ve figured this out.”

“AAAAAAAAAH!”

“WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING, MIODA?!”

“IBUKI’S DYING!” She yelled in panic, then suddenly calmed down. “Well, that’s not exactly Ibuki, but sti-“

“You already got killed though,” Hinata pointed out.

“Why is this happening to Ibuki.”

“Good job, Komaeda!” Souda laughed, patting the surprised boy on his back

“I’m going to get back at Kazuichi-chan for this,” Mioda said.

“Sure thing.”

“Ibuki’s serious!”

***

“No.”

“But Hinata-kun-“

“I said no.”

Nanami looked at him with pleading eyes, looking like a kicked puppy. It almost worked. “Please?”

“Hell no. I’m not playing ‘Trio the Punch’, no matter how much you beg me,” Hinata replied in a deadpan voice. “I’ve heard enough of this to know what I should expect.”

“But it’s fun-“

“No.”

He was one of the last people that hadn’t played anything yet, and now, when it was finally his turn, Nanami just wouldn’t stop trying to frame him into playing that thing. What did he do to deserve this.

In the meantime Komaeda somehow got into a conversation with some of the girls and ended up sitting with them now, who knows how and why. Currently Sonia and Pekoyama were teaching him how to braid hair, using Tsumiki as their model. It was a weird scene, but he seemed to be having fun with that, so Hinata had no reason to complain.

“Then what do you want to play?” Nanami tilted her head to the side. “It’s the last turn before Mioda-san’s performance…”

“Then I better enjoy playing video games before it happens…”

“What happens?”

“Death.”

“…what?”

“Never mind,” he sighed. “Let’s play that fighting game from before together. But go easy on me, okay? It won’t be fun if I lose right away.”

“Okay!” Nanami nodded happily. “Too bad you didn’t want to play Trio the Punch…”

“Please. We’re not talking about Trio the Punch. Leave it be.”

***

When Mioda began her song Hinata was truly grateful it was already this late, and probably everyone managed to go home before having to experience that. He was sure about his own survival, since she was consistently writing him a new song for each birthday and he knew what she was capable of, but… he wasn’t so sure about other people.

“Is she trying to curse us!?” Souda tried to outshout the loud music. “What the hell is this supposed to be!?”

“Some kind of metal, I guess!” Hinata yelled back.

Kuzuryuu put his hand over his ears. “Fucking hell.”

“Yeah, I also think she has learned this from Satan.”

“I beg you, Hinata, make her stop!” Tanaka shouted, looking at the scared hamsters in his hands in panic, also making Sonia worried.

“This is starting to look bad!”

Tsumiki seemed to be on the verge of tears, and Komaeda was seriously trying his best not to show how he really felt about this terrifying performance, but Hinata… almost wanted to laugh. That was one of the reasons why Mioda could never find her place – she was just too extraordinary.

“Thank you all for listening!” She exclaimed happily after she finished the song.

“AHAHA, COME ON, IT WASN’T THAT BAD!” Nidai said, and they all just nodded awkwardly… but, unexpectedly, some people started clapping their hands.

The first person was Yukizome, and nobody was even surprised.

The second was Saionji.

“Yahooo! It was totally awesome, big sis Mioda!” She said cheerfully. “One more song!”

“Please no,” Koizumi whispered involuntarily.

“Why are you clapping too, Nanami!?” Hinata turned to the third person.

“Hmm?” She hummed. “Ah, I just think it was pretty cool…”

“You’re serious!?”

“Yhm. It might not be the type of music I usually listen too… but I can tell Mioda-san puts a lot of heart into it…”

“Freaking angel,” Souda muttered.

“When I was in high school, I also used to play guitar,” Yukizome said. “Though I’m not sure if I still remember anything…”

“Then play with Ibuki, Chisa-chan! She will lend you the guitar!” Mioda offered.

“Maybe it’s not a bad idea,” she laughed and stood up, approaching the girl. “I really like your music taste, Mioda-san!”

“Oh my god, really!?” Hinata could swear that he saw stars in her eyes, she was so excited. It was a good thing, but at the same time not really, because it could mean that…

…Yukizome was going to play a similar song.

“Fucking hell,” Kuzuryuu muttered once again.

***

“It was a rainy evening, after I got back home from work…” Yukizome began telling a story. They turned almost all the lights off, and even momentarily switched Nanami’s laptop into sleep mode. “The apartment building I live in seemed unusually silent that day, and it was almost scary, as if it was completely empty… It made me remember a story about a ghost residing in there, even though it’d been built not so long ago. I never believed in that, but that day… suddenly it seemed like a possibility.”

Hinata didn’t even know if she was trying to be scary or just completely overdramatic.

“I was about to go to sleep when I heard some weird noises in the corridor. Earlier the whole building was so silent, and then that… but I just couldn’t leave it like this. I anxiously got up from my bed and went to open the door and check it…”

Some of the girls, plus Souda, seemed to be really caught up in her story… Oh well.

“I finally opened the door and left my apartment to see…”

And that’s when they heard some really loud noise. Souda shrieked, Tsumiki subconsciously glued herself to Mitarai’s arm with a squeak, and Hinata just moved to turn the lights on.

“What has just happened…?” Sonia asked, looking around uneasily.

“Ah, sorry, I guess that’s my fault,” Owari said. “I kinda moved the chair while checking if there’s still some food left.”

“You ruined the mood, big sis Owari!”

“Yeah, Akane-chan!”

“I already said sorry, what more can I do?”

"Is that food even worth it?" Saionji asked. "I hope you haven't put anything weird in there, big bro Hanamura!"

"If I had to suspect someone of doing that, it would be you," he replied.

“So, how does the story end, Yukizome-san?” Koizumi sighed.

“Ah, the ending is pretty anti-climatic itself,” she laughed awkwardly. “I live on the same floor as two of my best friends, Kyousuke and Juuzo. It turned out that it was just them, returning from some drinking party. Juuzo got totally wasted and decided that he wanted to sing some silly ballad, and Kyousuke, only a little less drunk, had to drag him back home, while humming the same song…”

“What kind of friends do you have?!”

“The best ones.”

Somewhere in the meantime Mioda turned Nanami’s laptop on again. “Hey, does Chiaki-chan seriously have Undertale here!?”

“Undertale? Isn’t that a totally last season craze?” Hinata frowned.

“Who cares? It’s still great!” She exclaimed, then made a face saying that she had something on her mind. “Ibuki’s got a brilliant idea! Let’s play it together and do the voice acting!”

“Are you serious?” Nanami asked.

“Totally! Chiaki-chan will be the player, since she’s the best at it, and we’ll all do the voices!”

“That sounds like fun!” Sonia said. “Let’s try it, everyone!”

“But if we go with the good route it will take some time…” Souda pointed out.

“I’m not doing the genocide one,” Nanami stated before anyone could suggest anything.

“Somehow I knew you’re going to say that,” Komaeda chuckled.

“Then let’s do the pacifist, who cares about sleep! Ibuki will choose who plays who!” Mioda exclaimed. “Hajime-chan is the protagonist so he has to be Frisk!”

“But they don’t even have dialogues-“

“Hajime-chan will come up with something! Next is Flowey… Nagito-chan!”

“Why me?” He pointed at himself, furrowing his brows.

“Because Ibuki wants you to play Asriel later! The goat mom…”

“When it comes to Toriel, it just has to be Yukizome-san,” Sonia suggested.

“Eh? But I’ve never played this game…”

“You’ll just have to act like a mom to everyone,” Nanami muttered.

“Chiaki-chan will be Sans!”

“Are my jokes that bad or is it because I’m often sleepy…”

“Fuyuhiko-chan, you play the dogs!”

“Dogs?!”

“But I wished I could play the dogs…” Tanaka said sadly.

“Don’t be sad, Gundam-chan, you’ll get to play Papyrus, he’s great, the greatest! And Sonia-chan will be Mettaton!”

“Sonia as Mettaton? Why?” Hinata asked.

“No reason. Ibuki just wants to hear her sing that song.”

“You’ll force her to do even that?!”

“Hey, hey, then which character I’m going to play?” Souda spoke up. Mioda looked at him for a moment before opening her mouth again.

“Kazuichi-chan will be Burgerpants.”

“I hate my life.”

“You see, Mioda-san? Fits perfectly!” Sonia commented.

“There’s also Napstablook… Can Ryota-chan do it?”

“I guess so.”

“Mioda-san, what about you?” Komaeda said.

“Ibuki’s obviously going to be the heroine, Undyne!”

“Then I want to be the Monster Kid!” Saionji yelled.

“What about Alphys?”

Mioda moved closer to Tsumiki and hugged her without a warning. “Mikan-chan! Mahiru-chan and Peko-chan will be Catty and Bratty, and Nekomaru-chan the goat dad!”

“A pretty fitting role for the old man,” Owari laughed. “What about me and Hanamura? Is there even anyone left?”

“Oops.” Mioda fell silent for a moment. “Sorry, but you’ll have to play the random characters, okay?”

“No problem.” The girl shrugged.

“I’m fine with that too,” Hanamura added.

“Then let’s start! Chiaki-chan, do the narration too!”

“Okay…”

Hinata still didn’t know  where he should get the dialogues from.

***

After several hours, only the strongest ones stayed awake to see the ending. At first Hinata was surprised by how full of energy Nanami seemed till the very end, but... well, if it's Nanami they're talking about, and there are games involved, he could expect honestly everything.

“Part of me wants to cry, but the other part just wants to sleep,” Pekoyama said after the credits.

“I can’t believe you held on longer than Hiyoko-chan…” Koizumi muttered, then yawned. “I bet it’s already bright outside… We should go to sleep…”

“Wait, girls, we have a problem here! Chisa-chan is crying!” Mioda whispered loudly.

“What? Are you serious?” Hinata sent a glance at the woman, who was furiously trying to wipe off the tears from her face.

“But-“ She began, but then stopped, not able to find the right words. “I felt like a mother watching her children cry and suffer! And Hinata-kun with Komaeda-kun made it even more emotional!”

“That’s the good ending though,” Mioda said. “Hurry, anyone, give Chisa-chan a tissue!”

“I’m good, I have my own.” Yukizome pulled a pack out of her pocket and loudly blew her nose.

“Komaeda-“ Hinata turned to the boy sitting right next to him and momentarily fell silent. “…don’t tell me you’re crying too!?”

“E-Eh?” His voice audibly cracked. “N-no, I’m not, don’t be silly, Hinata-kun…”

“You’re definitely crying!”

“Nagito-chan also shed a tear!?” Mioda jumped to them, so she would sit on Nanami’s sleeping bag. “Are you alright!?”

“I-I’m fine,” he waved his hand, but his eyes were definitely shining with tears.

“Hey, don’t pretend,” Hinata said. “Do you also need a tissue?”

“Or maybe a hug? Hajime-chan, give him one!”

“Shut up, Mioda.”

“I’m okay, really,” Komaeda laughed. “It’s just… when I’m acting… I usually try to force myself to feel the same emotions my character feels, so that I’m more believable… and this was a little too much, so…”

“He’s so precious,” Mioda looked at Hinata after hearing Komaeda’s answer. “Never let him go.”

“What are you talking about, dumbass. Go to sleep. It’s freaking late.”

“But Nagito-chan is crying-“

“He’ll be more fine without you around. Look, he’s barely even awake. Let him rest.”

“Fiiine…” She yawned and returned to her place. “But guys, where is Chiaki-chan? Ibuki can’t see her anywhere!”

“After she’d finished the game she said she’s going to the bathroom,” Yukizome replied. “She’d been sitting still for the last few hours…”

“Eh? But Ibuki’s got the key to our dressing room! Where did she go to look for that bathroom?”

“I have a feeling that someone should go and look for her…” Hinata sighed.

“Then why don’t you go?” Souda suggested. “Aren’t you and Komaeda her closest friends?”

“Ibuki’s got an idea!”

“You don’t. It’s almost morning. I want to find that airheaded girl and go to sleep,” Hinata said.

“Don’t be like that!” She frowned. “Ibuki just wanted to suggest a little game!”

“What now?”

“If you’re going, then let’s turn it into a test of courage! Hajime-chan and Nagito-chan are not allowed to turn any lights on while looking for Chiaki-chan!”

“Then how are we even supposed to find her?”

Yukizome interrupted their conversation. “I think I’ve brought a flashlight with me… Mioda-san, do you see that closet over there?” She pointed at a piece of furniture. “You can check if it’s there.”

“Yahooo!” Mioda stood up and ran up to it, trying not to step on any of their friends. Then she opened it and stuck her head inside, looking for said flashlight. “Ibuki’s so far in the closet that she can almost see Hajime-cha-“

“SHUT UP MIODA.”

Sometimes he really felt the urge to murder her. She was worse than Nanami. Much worse.

Hinata looked at Komaeda, who was either pretending he didn’t hear that, or just was really sleepy and stopped paying attention. He looked kinda cute, rubbing his eye and trying to keep himself awake.

“Here, Hajime-chan!” She finally threw the flashlight at him. “Now you’re ready to go.”

He simply sighed and with some effort picked himself up from his place. Then he extended his hand to Komaeda. “Come on. I’m not going alone.”

“Okay.” He flashed him a smile and accepted his help. “I’m wondering where she could’ve gone…”

“We’ll figure it out.” Hinata turned the flashlight on. “If we’re not back in ten minutes, you’ll be the one to look for us, Mioda.”

“Sure thing!”

They left the room and turned in the direction of the exit of this hallway. Checking the dressing rooms would be useless, since Mioda already told them Nanami didn’t take the key… So they decided to look for another bathroom that was the closest.

Everything was so silent that it was hard to believe someone was there… and after a moment that silence began to send chills down Hinata’s spine. Even if he never believed in any of those pseudo-scary stories, wandering around an empty, silent and dark building was a different thing.

“Hey, Komaeda,” he spoke up quietly. “Did you have fun today?”

“…yeah,” he whispered back. “I didn’t expect it to go so well…”

“Then what did you expect?”

“As far as I know myself, anything could’ve gone wrong,” he said casually. “But nothing happened, and I’m really grateful for that.”

“As long as you had fun, nothing else really counts,” Hinata muttered.

Suddenly, a loud creak resounded in the silence, making him jump in his place. He immediately directed the flashlight at where that sound was coming from. Luckily, it turned out that it was only some door, swaying slightly in its hinges.

“…w-what the hell…” Hinata muttered.

“Someone must’ve left it open before going home…” Komaeda laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re scared, Hinata-kun?”

“I’m not!” He snapped instantly. “It’s just… this silence makes me uncomfortable, so talk to me. I don’t care about what, just talk.”

“Then… what if I told a secret?” Komaeda said cheerfully. “But don’t tell Yukizome-san about it.”

“Okay…”

“At the audition you told me that Yukizome-san can’t act, right?” Hinata confirmed with a nod. “That’s a lie. She’s an amazing actress. During my practice with her she’s acting like a professional, and at my audition it was also like that.”

“Huh? Are you serious?” Hinata furrowed his brows. “Then why…?”

“Yukizome-san is really good at reading people,” Komaeda replied. “She just naturally knows what kind of attitude she should show to bring the best out of them, so… Just like me, she must’ve noticed it’s important to make you feel relaxed and decided to make herself look silly so you would trust her.”

Hinata wasn’t really satisfied with this answer. Actually, he was annoyed. “So you think it’s better to lie to me?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that…?” Komaeda suddenly sounded kind of defensive. “Calling it ‘lying’ makes it seem like she did something terrible… but she did it for the best, to make you feel better about yourself. I’m… kind of similar to her, in that aspect…”

“Huh?”

In this darkness he couldn’t be sure, but it looked like Komaeda smiled at him in a way that seemed really… affectionate. “Despite you constantly encouraging me, you’re not very confident yourself. That’s why I feel like it’s my job, to help you gain that confidence.”

“You…”

“I guess I just want to stay by Hinata-kun’s side,” Komaeda let out an awkward laugh. “I’m definitely not a suitable person for that, and I’m sure I can’t be much of a support, as sometimes I barely know how to deal with myself, but…”

Hinata could feel his cheeks burning when he reached out to him and grabbed his hand, surprising Komaeda to the point he almost pulled away. “T-then just stay. It’ll be fine this way.”

“…you really think so?”

“…probably.”

“Like I said, not very confident,” he laughed again, squeezing his hand tightly before letting go. “I guess we should hurry. Ten minutes is not a big amount of time.”

“Right…” Hinata sighed, a little disappointed. “Hey… can you hear that?”

“Hmm?” Komaeda fell silent, trying to make out what he was talking about. “Can it be…”

They followed the quiet, yet familiar sounds and finally reached some kind of a bigger hall – Hinata wasn’t sure if he’d ever been in this part of the building. How did they even get here…?

By a table was sitting Nanami, resting her head on the blat, with a still working game console put aside. Now it was clear what was the source of the sounds they’d heard.

“I don’t even have words to describe this situation,” Hinata said, approaching her and poking at her shoulder. “Nanami, the toilet break is over. We’re heading back.”

“…hmm?” She hummed, not even opening her eyes. “But… they’re toilet monsters… in here…?

“Where?”

“In here…”

“It’s only me and Komaeda. Wake up and move your ass.”

“Don’t wanna…” Nanami mumbled, and Hinata was beginning to lose his patience.

“Come on, have mercy, I want to sleep too. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

“…kay.” She slowly stood up and moved closer to Hinata, then climbed onto his back with some help from Komaeda. “But… I have to warn you about something…”

“What is it, Nanami-san?”

“I have no idea how to get back… to our sleepover room…”

“What do you mean…?”

Nanami took a deep breath and suddenly sounded more awake than just a moment before.

“We’re lost.”

***

"Ten minutes has passed," Ibuki noted. Almost everyone has already gone to sleep, except for her, Chisa, and for some reason, Kazuichi. "Ibuki has to go!"

"There are only problems with those three..." the boy muttered. "Want me to go with you?"

"Would Kazuichi-chan really do that?" She smiled at him brightly. "Ibuki totally thought he's tired of her already!"

"Well, let's say that it's to compensate for helping Komaeda earlier." He looked away, scratching his neck in an awkward gesture. "It's not like I'm mean to you on purpose..."

"Hoooray!" Ibuki hugged him without hesitation, just like he always did to Hajime. "Let's go then!"

"Do you need another flashlight?" Chisa asked them, but Ibuki shook her head.

"Ibuki has a flashlight in her phone, so it's going to be fine!"

"Just don't get lost. I have a feeling that it's the reason why Nanami-san, Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun are still not back..." She said, following them with her eyes. "Souda-kun?"

"Yeah, I'll try to be careful..."

Ibuki obviously lead the way, trying to figure out which way Hajime and Nagito went. She was aware that this building was almost like a maze, but she decided to entrust remembering their path to Kazuichi.

"H-hey, don't leave me behind!" He called out to her. "I didn't agree to go with you to now be left in this darkness!"

"Hahaha, Kazuichi-chan is scared!" She laughed cheerfully. "Don't worry, Ibuki's here and she won't allow anyone to touch her friend!"

"W-what do you mean by a-anyone?!" He yelled, catching up to her.

"Anyone means anyone! Ibuki's the heroine after all!"

"And here I thought Nanami was the heroine..."

"Well, if Ibuki had to choose, she would say that Nagito-chan is the heroine," Ibuki stated.

"What?!"

The girl raised her fist and began sticking her fingers out while listing the reasons.

"If we say that Hajime-chan is the hero and go with the cliche heroine... Nagito-chan was the first person Hajime-chan met and then befriended here. Nagito-chan also helped Hajime-chan when he didn't expect it, and now is always next to him. That's usually the heroine's job."

"I don't think I get your way of thinking..."

"Ibuki wasn't serious!" She laughed. "If she was, then Kazuichi-chan would be Ibuki's heroine, the 'damsel in distress' type!"

"You little..."

"You know, Kazuichi-chan," Ibuki suddenly spoke in a more serious tone. "Ibuki thinks everyone deserves to be a hero, or a heroine... Even though we may be just side characters in Hajime-han's or Chiaki-chan's story, we are mains in ours, so we have to do our best too!"

"Dunno. I feel like I'm made to be the supporting character." He shrugged.

"Bullshit!" She exclaimed, passing him again. "Everyone is special!"

"Right, right, if you say so..."

"Of course." She stopped and turned to him, putting her phone with the flashlight under her chin. "Ibuki is always right~"

"HIEEEEEEEEEE!" Kazuichi let out a terrified scream, instantly turned back and ran as if his life depended on it. "YUKIZOMEEE-SAAAN!"

"Kazuichi-chan, wait! It was just a joke, come back!"

***

"Turn right," Nanami muttered from Hinata's back.

"We just saw a plan of the building hanging on a wall. It said to turn left," Hinata replied.

"But we just came from here..." Komaeda noted in a tired voice.

"I'm sleepy..."

"Be quiet. You don't even have to walk by yourself," Hinata said to Nanami. "It's your fault, and yet you're the one getting carried."

"I'm the smallest one here, so..." she mumbled.

"Komaeda, want to switch?"

"I want to sleep."

"Then let's sleep here." Nanami slid off Hinata's back and landed on the floor. Then she approached a sofa standing near the wall and sat down.

"Are you serious?" Hinata asked.

"Yhm. Someone will find us eventually..."

"I really hope it will be Yukizome-san, not some scary security guard..." Komaeda also sat down with a small sigh. "It's cold in here though..."

"Then let’s sit closer. It'll be warmer..." Nanami clumsily moved close to the startled boy and cuddled to his side, leaning on his shoulder. "You take the other side, Hinata-kun."

"I don't want to sleep here," he said, but sleeping so close to Komaeda was actually quite tempting. He could just do the same thing Nanami did, feel his warmth...

Fucking embarrassing. He ended up catching himself thinking things like that more and more often. Goddammit.

"Come on, Hinata-kun..." Nanami muttered, then... just let her eyelids drop as she slid down Komaeda's shoulder and simply fell asleep with her head on his lap.

"What should I do?" He asked him in a panicked whisper, but despite that, this scene looked kind of adorable.

"Just let her be. Imagine she's a cat or something," Hinata said, finally giving up and sitting on his other side. Komaeda probably took his word a little too seriously, as he awkwardly petted her pink hair. Nanami just hummed quietly in her sleep, not moving an inch.

"So, goodnight, I guess," he muttered, also moving as close as it was acceptable and praying for Komaeda to be okay with this.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep, having Hinata-kun so close..." he whispered nervously.

"During our journey back from the beach you had no problems with that. Come on, you can use my shoulder as a pillow."

"...you sure?"

"Yhm."

Komaeda hesitantly rested his head on Hinata's shoulder, his fluffy hair tingling his skin once again. For a moment he seemed tense, but he gradually relaxed, letting out a breath he was probably holding.

"Is it fine this way?" Hinata asked, resting his cheek against Komaeda's hair. He was so tired he didn't even care anymore...

"You're not really comfy, Hinata-kun."

"So you choose to complain after all?"

"Not at all. I often have trouble sleeping... but when I'm with Hinata-kun and Nanami-san it seems so easy..." he replied quietly.

After a moment of silence Hinata asked one more question.

"Still feeling cold?"

The answer was just two words.

"Not anymore."

***

Ibuki pointed her phone's camera at the sleeping trio, cuddled to each other on a couch.

"Hello, it's the trial point getters protection squad, here's your reporter, Ibuki Mioda. She can't speak very loudly so she won't wake these adorable kids up."

"Who's even in that squad?"

"Ibuki, Kazuichi-chan, Chisa-chan probably too..."

"Why did you sign me up?!"

"Shhh, let them sleep!"

"Ibuki Mioda, the mighty leader of the trial point getters protection squad, knew well that if Hajime Hinata wakes up, he will chase her to get his revenge and delete the recording. That's why she chose to stay quiet."

"Who's narrating this story?" Kazuichi frowned.

"Me!" Chisa exclaimed happily from behind them. "I told you I'm the mastermind here!"

Ibuki pressed a button on the screen, ending her short movie. "Ibuki's going to keep it, no matter what. It's too precious to be lost."

Chisa patted her on the head with a smile. “Just don’t show it to him. It’ll be out secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope it was also fun for you to read!
> 
> Also, I have a small announcement: as I mentioned at the beginning of the school year, I may not be able to keep on posting a chapter per week. It's my last year of high school, and sometimes I'm really short on time (and sleep), so I may switch into posting a new chapter once every two weeks?? If I manage to complete a chapter in a week then I'll post it of course, I just wanted to warn you guys 
> 
> As always, thank you for staying with this fic, I love you all!!


	13. Summer ends, nothing changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I managed to write this on time, I just can't believe  
> It's definitely shorter than the previous chapter, but it's here!

And so, they ended up visiting Sonia’s parents' hotel once again, in order to film the scenes taking place outside. They really were fortunate this place matched the locations from the game so well…

At the same time Hinata was looking forward to it and he wasn’t at all. A trip to the beach this time meant filming some of the last scenes from chapter one, leaving only the first class trial left – most likely the biggest challenge so far. And that also meant…

The end of summer. Welcome again, school.

To be completely honest, Hinata didn’t even care about school this time. It was something else that was making him kind of dejected, even if he would never admit it out loud.

It was the perspective of being separated with people he’d been spending his whole days for a few weeks. Technically they were still going to keep seeing each other after school, on weekends and the days they would have to skip, but the end of summer still felt a little depressing. 

He never expected himself to come to care about his friends from the cast so much, but now… He was almost thinking of them as of his family. After spending his whole life as the only child, it was nice to have so many siblings, even if sometimes he felt an urge to murder some of them. Especially Mioda, but what else is new.

 

“What about Super High School Level Serenity?” Komaeda asked him enthusiastically as a part of Suzuki’s FTE. Hinata raised one of his brows doubtfully.

“Which part of me did you look at to come up with a title like that…? Is that even a useful ability?”

“Hmm… I’m pretty sure the ability to bring serenity to others just by being there is really amazing…” The other boy stated, sounding so sure of that as if he really meant it. “Let’s see… What about Super High School Level Clumsy Student?”

“Well, considering that I suddenly forgot what my talent was, that may be fairly accurate…”

“Then what about Super High School Level Scatterbrain?”

Hinata almost wanted to tell him that this title would fit him better.

“Don’t go that far… I don’t want a talent like that…”

Komaeda laughed awkwardly. “Hey, don’t take it seriously. It was just a little joke! Hmm… then… How about Super High School Level Spiky Hair?”

“That’s not an ability at all!” Hinata exclaimed, though what kind of ability being a princess was? Or a yakuza? If that’s a talent, then why couldn’t Spiky Hair be one too?

“I know, right? Hahah!” He said, changing his expression slightly and narrowing his eyes a bit, as if foreshadowing something. “But it’s going to be fine… I’m positive you have a talent that’s brimming with hope.”

Damn. He was amazing.

After a pause, Hinata spoke up again. “When you say it like that, I’m starting to believe it…”

“Then I’m glad I could be useful to you,” Komaeda replied to his hesitant comment. That’s where this scene was supposed to end, so they just waited for Yukizome’s sign and then sighed with relief.

“Excellent job, just like always,” she stated  with a smile.

“So now I’m free from FTE until chapter three…” Komaeda muttered. “Well, less work for me. I’m leaving this to you, Nanami-san.”

“You can rest now, Komaeda-kun. I’ll do my best also for you,” Nanami replied, coming closer to them.

“Why do I feel like in a shounen anime…” Hinata sighed.

“Not anime. Games also have lines like this…” she commented. “Anyway. Yukizome-san, are we moving to the park now?”

“I think so.” The woman looked through the ever-present in her hands script. “We’ve got a lot of work there, and we have to record part of it before it gets even vaguely dark, so we should probably hurry.”

“Mitarai-kun already took the group there,” Nanami said. “They’re only waiting for us and the technicians.”

“I see,” Yukizome giggled. “He really takes the role of the initial leader seriously, doesn’t he? Even though he tried to keep the externals of keeping a distance…”

“Maybe the sleepover helped him warm up to others…?” Komaeda suggested. “He seems to be good friends with Tsumiki-san now…”

_Oh god. The sleepover was a wild ride._

Hinata mostly remembered it as one of the best days/nights during the whole summer, but no one could tell him that getting lost in a building he’s been visiting every single day wasn’t an adventure. And apparently it was the second time for Komaeda…

“Koizumi-san mentioned that she took some photos back then and she’ll show them to us soon,” Nanami informed them.

“I hope she managed to catch Kuzuryuu, asleep and clinging onto Pekoyama’s sleeve,” Hinata muttered.

“She said she did.”

“Good.”

Yukizome already managed to pass them and called out to them from the distance. “What are you waiting for? We don’t have time to laze around, come on!”

***

First they had to film one scene in the park, then take a break, let Yukizome’s subordinates build a simple scene and wait for the sky to get dark, then take care of the last scene they still had left before it got perfectly black. It got pretty frantic at some point, but things like this were becoming less and less of a challenge to them.

“That memory loss thing and traitor aside, why is Kuzuryuu so angry,” Souda said after that.

“Because I’m surrounded by idiots,” he sighed. “Or at least my character is, but sometimes I feel like it applies to me too.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?” Koizumi asked him with an annoyed frown.

“By getting angry over that you only prove that you belong to this group.” Kuzuryuu sent her a wry grin.

“Hey, I’m not letting anyone insult big sis Mahiru!” Saionji yelled.

“What are they even arguing over…” Hinata muttered, and Komaeda just shrugged.

“They’re probably just tired,” he suggested.

“And upset that school is starting again in a few days…” Nanami added.

“Still not a reason to argue.”

“That’s when Ibuki steps in!” Mioda exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. “Ibuki has an idea!”

“Again?” Owari asked.

“Ibuki always has like five of them, but this one is good!” She insisted. “Let’s make a fire on the beach, to celebrate the end of summer!”

“There’s nothing to celebrate,” Mitarai stated.

“Then to say goodbye to it! We don’t have to go home yet, right?”

Yukizome checked the time on her phone. “Not really. If you want to, then I’m willing to stay.”

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Hinata also partially wanted to just go home, but… the other part of him preferred to stay, just like always. Being with them felt more like home than his actual house.

“Staying an hour longer will not hurt anyone, right?” Sonia finally said. “It does not have to be long.”

“You’re probably right,” Kuzuryuu muttered. “Soon we won’t have this much free time.”

“Then shall we go?” The blonde girl smiled. “I will ask my parents for some wood for the fire.”

“Ibuki will go with Sonia-chan!” Mioda exclaimed and joined her.

“Hey, some of the guys should go with you!” Koizumi said. “Are you really going to let two girls go alone?”

“I had no intentions of that,” Tanaka replied, following his girlfriend. “I expect one of the other mortals to also join.”

“Fine, I’ll go,” Souda sighed. “No way I’m going to let Sonia-san and Mioda take care of this.”

“Then we’ll find a good place, okay?” Pekoyama suggested, and from lack of any other ideas, their directed their steps towards the beach. After a moment of wandering around Owari called out to them and showed a place surrounded by wooden benches, with a spot clearly designed to be used as a fireplace. They all found themselves a place and just waited for the missing four to return while chatting idly.

“We’re back!” Mioda’s voice could he heard after like ten minutes. Hinata turned to them to notice that in the end only Souda and Tanaka were carrying wood, Sonia returned empty-handed and Mioda was holding…

…a guitar.

“Oh no,” he whispered involuntarily before realizing that it was only a acoustic one. Knowing that fact he could relax. They were going to live this time.

“What do you need that guitar for?” Mitarai asked skeptically.

“Isn’t it obvious? When there’s a fire, there also need to be singing!” She said cheerily. “Right, everyone?”

“Hoooray, big sis Mioda is going to sing!” Saionji raised her hands in a gesture of pure happiness, though she and Yukizome were the only one who looked happy.

“Not only Ibuki, Hiyoko-chan!” She replied. “Ibuki wants everyone to sing together!”

“Listen, Mioda, we’re tired-“ Kuzuryuu began, but then looked at Owari and Nidai, trying to convince Tanaka to let them handle the wood. “Or maybe not everyone.”

“Listen, I really know how to deal with this, okay? Man, you’re a pain in the ass…” Owari said.

“The ability of ruling over the fire is essential to many rituals, so it’s my duty to-“ Tanaka started his rant, but was soon cut off by Nidai.

“It feels like making a fire on a sports camp,” he said.

“Right, old man?” Owari grinned at him. “Brings back middle-school memories!”

“Listen to me, mortals!”

“Guys, hurry it up, we don’t have the whole night…” Souda muttered.

While they were bickering, Mioda sat down next to Tsumiki and began to tune her instrument.

“You know, Ibuki is kind of sad that we’re not classmates,” she said, placing her fingers on the strings. “It would be more fun this way.”

“You at least have Hinata-kun…” Nanami replied. She was sitting on the sand in front of Komaeda and him, with her back against their legs. “It’s going to be lonely…”

“Why are you all like this?” Hanamura asked. “We’re still going to keep seeing each other!”

Owari turned her head away from the slowly kindling fire. “Hanamura’s right. Stop being so gloomy. And Tanaka, for god’s sake, leave these matches already, we got it. Look, it’s burning!”

“Pitiful little fire…”

“Oh god. How do you even put up with him, Sonia?” Owari asked the blonde girl.

“The power of love, probably…?”

"Okay, Ibuki's ready!" Mioda exclaimed. "Mikan-chan's also going to sing, right?"

"E-eh? Me?" She uttered.

"Come on, we all know this song," the other girl laughed and started to play a calm melody. Hinata vaguely recognized the tune before Mioda opened her mouth.

 

_You, and the end of summer, and the dreams of the future_

_And our big hope, I won't forget them…_

 

"Holy crap, Mioda can actually sing normally!" Souda said in utter shock. "And it sounds really good!"

"Why does Kazuichi-chan sound so surprised?!"

"Because when we'd last heard you singing it sounded like a song straight from hell?" Kuzuryuu suggested.

"Rude!" Mioda frowned. "This time Mikan-chan starts! You know the lyrics, right?"

"I know, b-but..." she tried to make an excuse, but the girl sitting next to her already went back to strumming on the strings.

"Then come on!" She encountered her. "The others will join us!"

Tsumiki looked around nervously, probably expecting someone to laugh at her, but of course no one would do that. Except for Saionji, but lately it seemed that she had softened a bit...

So Tsumiki took a deep breath and began singing when Mioda gave her a sign.

 

_You, and the end of summer, and the dreams of the future_

_And our big hope, I won't forget them._

_I believe that we will meet_

_In August 10 years later._

_The best memories..._

 

Hinata had to admit she had a really cute voice. He honestly didn't expect her to be so good at this, given how she always seemed uneasy and stuttered a lot, but... She had already surprised him with how good of an actress she was, so maybe he should stop underestimating her.

The girls began joining Tsumiki and Mioda eventually. Sonia and Owari had the strongest voices, but the others, even Yukizome seemed to be having fun as their choir. Nanami also hummed the song quietly, her soft voice barely audible.

"Boys, you too!" Mioda said to them. "Don't be so stiff!"

"I doubt it's a good idea..." Souda replied, but Nidai decided to prove him he's wrong, eagerly joining the girls. After a moment Tanaka did the same, at the same time wrapping his scarf around his mouth, most likely embarrassed anyway.

"You too, Komaeda." Hinata leaned against him. "You can't excuse yourself as not being able to sing."

"You won't forget about that, am I right?"

"Never. I really think you can sing though."

Komaeda laughed half-heartedly, probably remembering his shower performance and Hinata making fun of him afterwards. "Then I guess I don't have a choice."

 

_I was talking to you for so long at the end of summer  
After we watched the sunset, we gaze at the stars…_

Instead of joining him, Hinata simply listened to his voice - quiet in comparison to the rest of the group, but at the same time strangely charming.

At this point the fire was burning brightly, surrounding everything in its orange glow. This, the stars and the moon were basically the only sources of light, and everything in its range casted long shadows as a part of the night's scenery.

A really late evening, a vividly burning fire, the sound of them singing... Nanami sitting on the ground close to them, his and Komaeda's shoulders sticking together... It seemed like a good way to say goodbye to the summer vacation.

By the end of the song Tsumiki's voice started cracking and when the sound of Mioda's guitar died down she was obviously holding back from crying.

"Hey, Tsumiki, is something wrong?" Mitarai asked, as everyone turned their eyes to her. The girl just shook her head.

"It's o-okay, b-but..." She muttered before completely breaking into tears. "I d-don't want the summer break t-to end!"

"Huh?"

"Tsumiki-san...?" Yukizome spoke up gently.

"I h-had so much fun d-during these few weeks!" She sobbed out and Mioda put a hand around her shoulder to hug her. "And you were all s-so nice to me, even Saionji-san! I was always u-used to people bullying me, so this short time with you..."

"What are you crying over?" Yukizome walked up to her, pulling out a handkerchief and beginning to gently wipe Tsumiki's face to dry her tears. "Listen to me, Tsumiki-san. Whoever's mean to you deserves a kick on the ass."

"Right!" Koizumi nodded. "We're in the same class, remember? If someone even tries to pick on you, they'll have to deal with me!"

"And between us... nothing's going to change," Yukizome continued with a smile. "Summer may be over, but our bonds are real, you know?"

"We're all Mikan-chan's friends!" Mioda exclaimed, squeezing her tighter. "And we're going to spend a lot more time together!"

"Right," Tsumiki agreed weakly. "I'm s-sorry for crying so suddenly, I really am... I've ruined the mood, haven't I... I'm sorry!"

"It's okay..." Nanami said.

"Let's just sing another song and it's going to be alright!" Nidai shouted. "Mioda!"

"Understood, Nekomaru-chan!" She saluted to him and let go of Tsumiki, going back to her guitar. "Let's see... We need something happier... Maybe this..."

Hinata looked at Komaeda, who stayed silent through this whole situation. He seemed to be deep in thoughts, gazing at the sea. Maybe he also had similar thoughts to Tsumiki? Hinata was certainly getting better at reading him, but he was still far from understanding what’s on his mind at first glance. He was still often over thinking things in silence…

“Want to go for a walk?” Hinata asked him quietly, earning a surprised look. “So you can talk to me about whatever’s bothering you…”

Komaeda glanced at the rest, then turned back to him and nodded with a slight smile.

“Nanami, we’re going to be back in a moment,” Hinata said to the girl, who only waved at them, not even asking where they’re going. He stood up discretely, helped Komaeda get up too and pulled him away from the group, towards the sea. As much as he would like to keep holding his hand, in the end he let go, just like always…

Will he ever gather the resolve to confess his feelings?

Who knows. He just knew that it wasn’t the right time yet.

“So? What’s the deal?” He asked, looking at the sky. It was really damn pretty this night.

And then he glanced at Komaeda and thought something like ‘he’s even prettier’, yeah. Cliché as hell, but also true.

“Nothing much outside of what everyone else is stressing over,” he said, sitting down on the sand. “Seems like I’m no different in that aspect…”

Hinata took a place next to him. “Why are you all so worried? We’re just going to go to school for a few hours, then hurry to the studio anyway and stay there till late.”

“It’s a bit different for me,” Komaeda muttered, shifting closer, so their shoulders were touching. “I’m not attending any school, so… I’m going to be spending these few hours alone.”

“Oh…”

“It’s never bothered me before,” he continued in a quiet voice. “To be honest, it was the opposite, I preferred that. But now, after I’d met you… it changed. I don’t think I’m fine with being on my own anymore.”

It didn’t sound like a lie, but at the same time he seemed much too calm to be saying something this serious. On the other hand… wasn’t he always like that? Hesitant about simple things, but casually blurting out those ones that seemed important…

“That might be a problem in your situation,” Hinata agreed. “Though I think that’s a good change. Being completely on your own is boring.”

“It’s going to be lonely though…”

"Stop it. I'm going to get all sentimental too," he sighed. "It's going to be fine."

"If Hinata-kun says so, then I'll believe it," Komaeda laughed in response.

"Why do you always believe me so much?

"Because Hinata-kun is really important to me," he said. Hinata's heartbeat instantly got faster and blood rushed to his face. "Besides Makoto and Komaru, I don't really have anyone else, so...  I'm so happy each time you call me your friend... or when you do something to express that you care about me... It's, like, super important to me? So... Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. That's what friends are for," Hinata muttered sheepishly. "But... you said you don't have anyone else... What about other family members?"

"There's no one," Komaeda replied casually, as if it wasn't anything special. "Similar as in Nanami-san's case... my parents had died in an accident some years ago."

Oh. So that's the reason behind his reaction to Nanami's words back then.

Hinata couldn't find the right thing to say to a confession like this. He fell silent and simply gazed at the sea, trying to understand how hard it must had been to Komaeda, and he couldn't help but come to a conclusion that it was just unfair. So hopelessly unfair, that such a wonderful person had to go through something like this.

He wished he could do something to help him... but was there really anything like that? What did Komaeda even need?

Probably just someone to ease his loneliness, so...

"Just so you know, Komaeda. I'm not going anywhere," he said in the end, nudging at his shoulder and breaking the silence. Komaeda finally opened up a bit, so Hinata felt the urge to comfort him somehow, even if he wasn’t sure whether he needed that or not.

"...Thank you,” Komaeda repeated softly, resting his cheek on Hinata’s shoulder, as if not wanting to break the physical contact. “Thank you…”

“I told you already there’s nothing to thank me for…” he said, reaching his other hand to gently stroke his hair. Komaeda suddenly seemed like a big puppy, asking for affection… and he was more than willing to give it to him. “Tell me more about yourself. Even some stupid facts. I don’t really know much about you…”

“…I like reading books,” Komaeda muttered. “All kind of them… It’s relaxing.”

“Next one.”

“…my favorite colors are red and green,” he added after Hinata’s encouragement.

“Next one.”

“It’s embarrassing, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda laughed. “I can’t just keep coming with those random facts on a spot.”

“…of course. Sorry.”

Even after the conversation had died down, they stayed like that, just enjoying each other's presence and listening to the distant sounds the rest of the group was making. Hinata thought, that even though talking with Komaeda always helped him learn something new about him, somehow the silence was also good. He didn’t feel the need to make a small talk, and was pretty sure the other boy felt the same way.

“Hey, lovebirds, we’re going to leave without you if you don’t get your butts back here!” Mioda’s voice suddenly disrupted the moment. They instantly moved away from each other, as if being seen by her would cause some kind of scandal.

"Shut up, Mioda!" Hinata shouted, wondering how many times he had already said that to her.

"Mioda-san, you were supposed to be more subtle about it..." They could hear Nanami sigh. "Komaeda-kun, Hinata-kun, we're going home..."

"Okay, we're coming!" He said in response. "Come on, Komaeda, I don't want to get left behind."

"We're leaving already?" The other boy said, sounding disappointed.

"Guys, you're always staying behind or getting lost somewhere, get yourself together," Souda complained.

"If you left them here, I am sure my parents would let them stay over," Sonia stated kindly.

"Oh my god, then maybe Ibuki should-"

"No, you're not staying behind on purpose." Souda caught her by the collar of her costume and started dragging her in the direction of their bus.

"What a waste of opportunity!" She exclaimed, puffing her cheeks, but despite that letting Souda do that. “Nagito-chan, Komaeda-chan, take it when you still have a cha-“

“They don’t.” Yukizome somehow appeared next to them and caught them by their sleeves. “Except Tanaka-kun and Sonia-san, we’re all going back together.”

“Bye bye, Sonia-chan, Gundam-chan!” Mioda yelled from the distance. “See you tomorrow!”

“Until we meet again,” Tanaka said, taking Sonia’s hand and turning in another direction. She waved them goodbye with a smile, then followed him.

“And now’s our turn to leave,” Yukizome stated cheerfully, still upbeat, pulling them towards the bus.

“Eh?” Hinata uttered. “Hey, we can walk on our own! Pay attention to Nanami, she’s going to fall asleep!”

“I’m fine…”

“You’re not! Your eyes are closed! You’re going in the wrong direction!”

On the last moment, Hinata caught Nanami by her sleeve and pulled her along.

***

“A party?” Saionji frowned, when Yukizome announced something to them the next day.

“Yeah! Though it’s probably a different kind of party than you imagine. It’s work-related and means meeting staff members you haven’t seen yet, and also sponsors… Generally probably nothing entertaining to you, at least the first part of it,” the director explained. “As the time passes, the atmosphere always loosens up and you can have some more fun, but in the beginning it’s pretty stiff…”

“Then it’s going to be boring…” Mioda sighed.

“Most likely,” Yukizome laughed. “But there’s one thing about it I’m sure you’re all going to like.”

Everyone looked at her in anticipation.

“The returning cast from the first series is going to be there as well!” She exclaimed finally. “Judging from how happy you were to meet Maizono-san and Kuwata-kun, I think it’s a nice motivation to go there.”

“Holy crap,” Kuzuryuu muttered.

“This is some big news!” Sonia shouted enthusiastically. “So, when is the party?”

“I don’t know the exact date yet, but not too soon. In some weeks, probably,” Yukizome replied. “I wanted to tell you earlier, because, you know… You’ll have to dress up. It’s a formal occasion.”

“You mean like… tuxedos? And dresses for girls?” Hinata furrowed his brows. That didn’t really sound inviting…

“Yhm, pretty much.” The woman nodded.

“Just thinking about it makes me excited!” Hanamura stated.

“Dude, why?” Souda side-glanced him.

“Formal wear is a major turn-on!”

Yet again, the pink-haired boy looked utterly terrified.

While the others were still discussing the topic and talking about how much they wanted to meet Makoto Naegi, Kyouko Kirigiri and Byakuya Togami, Koizumi approached Komaeda and Hinata.

“Hey, I haven’t shown these to you yet, right? Here.” She handed them a bunch of photos. “You know, the sleepover photos. If you especially like any of them, tell me, I’ll make you copies.”

Komaeda took them from her and started looking through them, holding them so Hinata could also see. They weren’t really on many of them, as their group consisted of seventeen people and Koizumi tried not to ignore anyone.

There was that famous photo of Kuzuryuu unconsciously holding onto Pekoyama’s sleeve and her watching him with a gentle smile. Then it was Mioda showing Yukizome some guitar tricks, and Tanaka getting really passionate about playing Papyrus in their little Undertale challenge. Saionji, asleep with her head resting on Tsumiki’s shoulder. Komaeda sitting with the girls while they were trying to change him into a hairdresser, and the two of them together, exchanging looks while someone, most likely Nanami, pointed at them. There were also many completely random photos where him, Komaeda and Nanami were somewhere in the background.

"To be honest, I like all of them..." Komaeda said. “Your photographs are amazing as always, Koizumi-san!”

"Then I'll send them to you, and you'll get the paper copies with all the photos me or Mioda took," Koizumi replied. "You fine with that?"

"Sure!" He nodded with a smile. "Sorry for troubling you!"

"Yeah, and now give them back to me." She snatched the photos away from him. "We've got a lot of work to do today, so you better take this seriously!"

"O-of course..."

"I mean especially you, Komaeda! This trial is finally your time to shine!" Koizumi pointed out, making him visibly uncomfortable.

"R-right, I'll do my best..." He muttered.

Then they heard a loud sound of someone falling to ground. Namely Tsumiki.

"Watch where you're going, pig!" Saionji snarked. "What are we going to do if you break a leg or something?! Think about us!"

"I'm sorry! F-forgive me!" Tsumiki whined.

"Are we going through this again...?" Hinata muttered. "I thought she left her alone..."

"It's not that easy to change, Hinata," Koizumi stated.

"Then why did it even start? Saionji is like that only towards her. That doesn't make sense," he replied.

"I think that's because Mikan-chan reminds her of herself," the girl sighed.

"...what?" Komaeda made a surprised face.  "They're not alike at all..."

"Hiyoko-chan was also a victim of bullying in the past, even before we met Mikan-chan," Koizumi explained sadly. "Well, at some point we all were, but that's not what I wanted to say..."

"Saionji was...?" It was kind of hard to believe to Hinata, looking at Saionji, always so confident.

"You know, a rich, lonely kid always looks like an easy target," she said. "They didn't know how wrong they were though. Hiyoko-chan isn't someone who can't protect herself, so they'd basically started a war, not chose an easy prey. That's why when she met Mikan-chan she got angry both at her bullies and at her. You know, for being too weak to fight back."

"That explains a lot..." Komaeda stated, but Hinata felt a little different about it.

"I get all of that, but that's not an excuse," he said firmly.

"You never was in a situation like this, so you can't know how would you react!" She said, knitting her eyebrows together in a frown. "Don't criticize if you don't understand, she's really trying to change!"

"Come now, Koizumi-san," Komaeda spoke up, seeing Hinata back away. "Hinata-kun didn't mean anything bad…”

“He better not.”

"Okay, enough with talking!" Yukizome raised her voice. "The time for the first trial has finally came! I know we’ve already practiced it, but this is the real thing. It’s going to be a painstaking work and you know it. We also don’t know how well you’re going to cooperate with Komaeda-kun, who was only watching you rehearse so far…”

Well, that was true. This whole time Komaeda was just sitting with Mitarai while they were working themselves over this damn trial. Though Hinata couldn’t tell if he enjoyed watching them, or rather was stressing himself over the perspective of joining it.

Meanwhile Yukizome continued her pep talk, trying to make them feel the mood. “But I believe in you and your skills, so let’s get this started!”

“Yes, Yukizome-san!” 

***

Including Komaeda in the trial changed a lot. The first thing was obviously keeping the continuity of their actions, without having to skip his parts, so you could say that made things easier for them, but…

On the other hand, throwing him in also made things worse. Not because he was doing something wrong, that’s a definite no. His acting was brilliant as usual, but that’s exactly the point. Hinata could sense the difference between his behavior earlier and now. It was barely noticeable, obvious only to those who knew what it meant, and that's how it should’ve been. Komaeda was perfectly setting the atmosphere of uneasiness and doubt, having everything under control and actually making the rest of them feel nervous. That was already amazing, and they didn’t even get to the breaking point of the trial yet…

“Suzuki… Weren’t you cleaning the dining hall all morning?” Hinata asked, trying to sound confident. “If so… you would’ve had a chance to hide the knife!”

“T-that’s…” Komaeda’s eyed widened at the accusation.

“If you factor in the power cord and the time you spent cleaning, you’re the only one who could’ve done it!” He continued, feeling that they’re finally getting there.

“S-seriously, that’s all just a coincidence!” The other boy exclaimed defensively. “Believe me!”

“If it was just a coincidence, it’d be fine… But when it’s one right after another…” Nanami said. “I wonder… Is something like that even possible?”

“Could it be…?” Koizumi spoke up, looking at Komaeda warily. He was making an impression of someone who was beginning to panic, believable as always. “Did you give yourself cleaning duty on purpose, so you could hide the knife under the table…?

“Now that you mention it… Suzuki did prepare the drawing to pick who cleaned the dining hall…” Nidai stated.

“You rigged the drawing, didn’t you?” Koizumi asked in an accusing tone, pointing at Komaeda. “That’s how you got picked to clean the dining hall, isn’t it?”

The boy just stared at her silently.

“I don’t know if you’re the killer or not, but… Regardless, it proves that you’re suspicious, right?” Nanami concluded. She was also amazing in her own way, sounding as if she actually didn’t give a fuck the whole time…

“Gh…!” Komaeda looked around anxiously, as if looking for help, finally fixing his gaze on Hinata.

“If that’s the case… That strange speech you made earlier… That was part of your plan, too…” Nidai said.

“You got us to lower our guard and tried to hide the fact that you did it, didn’t you, you motherfucker!?” Kuzuryuu yelled angrily.

“Well? Just admit it already!” Koizumi added, seemingly throwing Komaeda into even worse state of panic. He glanced at Hinata once again.

“Suzuki, tell me you object to this,” Hinata said with a plea in his voice. He surprised even himself with how well he could understand and convey Yokohama’s feelings in that scene. “Honestly, I don’t want to believe it either… We investigated together… You were so kind to me… I can’t believe you’re the one who killed Ozawa!”

Komaeda stayed silent, playing his role.

“Suzuki! Say something!” Hinata yelled, practically extending his hand to him. That was honestly frustrating. It was the same feeling he got while playing the game, but much worse, since now he wasn’t just playing as the protagonist – he had to become the protagonist.

And Komaeda had to become his enemy. Hinata held his breath, waiting.

“Haha…” Komaeda let out a quiet, but unsettling laugh, which soon transformed into a terrifying, uncontrollable laughter. He leaned over his barrier while laughing maniacally until he was audibly out of breath. “Ahahahahahh!”

They simply watched him, completely dumbfounded. Up until now they could only watch him play that nice, somewhat suspicious guy, so this was their first time seeing what Komaeda was capable of, and that was honestly… quite shocking.

Hinata felt the urge to take some steps back, suddenly feeling as if he was much too close. He could almost sense the non existing danger…

“The Super High School Level students are working together to combat the despair of their friend’s death!” Komaeda exclaimed in a completely unknown to him tone after he ceased to laugh. “Ah, how wonderful, how beautiful it is!”

So that’s his true level. Hinata was sure he would never be able to pull off something like this. It was like watching his friend changing into someone completely different right before his eyes, and despite being so amazed, he couldn’t tell that he liked this.

Somehow he managed to pull himself together. They were still filming and couldn’t stop just because he was too shocked.

“…huh?” He uttered, bracing himself for what was now to come – probably the hardest scenes so far.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Komaeda said, with a wry smile, sounding pretty much proud of himself. “You’re correct! It was my doing all along! I’m the one who hid the knife under the table before the party started! I’m the one who used the power cord to find my way to the table in the dark! And, of course… I’m the one who caused the blackout! After all… there’s no way I’d knowingly whip out a knife in front of everyone, right?”

“I-Is it just me, or…” Mioda spoke up, her stuttering probably being not only acting. She was just as dumbfounded as Hinata. “Does he seem a little nuts right now?”

_Not only a little. I would totally believe he’s a psycho if I didn’t know him._

Everyone seemed to share his opinion, watching Komaeda warily, while he didn’t seem to pay attention to this and continued his rant. Hinata was starting to get worried about what to say to him after they’re done with this…

He was sure of one thing though. Komaeda was on a completely different level from them.

***

Him aside, Hanamura, as the culprit, also had a rather hard role to play. Even though Komaeda outshined all of them, Hinata could see that he also did his best, showing a different side to the normally perverted, not serious character. It was a shame his part of the story was ending like this.

When they were finally reaching the end of the trial they were all exhausted. Tired of Komaeda’s rambling, and of the fact that they actually got really emotional while acting…

“What matters is that you hold on to the feeling that you have to do your best,” Nanami said, cracks showing in her indifferent facade when she smiled at them mournfully. “So… let’s do our best. Let’s make sure that a killing like this never happens again.”

“It’s scary, buT…” Koizumi began hesitantly. “Doing our best is our only option. There’s no way I’m doing what Suzuki said!”

“All right!” Owari raised her clenched fists. “I dunno what you’re all talking about, but let’s do our best for now!”

“Very well,” Tanaka said. “Even if we are not able to change the future, I guess I should at least change my tomorrow.”

“Damn fiend… I won’t give up until the very end! I won’t die in vain…” Nidai stated firmly. “I’ll give my entire existence, my entire power, my entire body and soul and fight to the very end!”

“Yeah… You’re right…” Hinata said, aware of the fact that he sounded tired and sad. “Let’s definitely work together and leave this island!”

They stood like this for a moment, before Yukizome gave a sign to the cameramen and then smiled at them reassuringly. “That’s it, kids. Thank you for your hard work.”

A unison of relieved sighs resounded in the room as the tension started to dissolve. Finally, it was over.

“Holy shit, that was intense,” Kuzuryuu muttered.

“I can’t believe we actually pulled this off,” Pekoyama added. “When Komaeda showed Suzuki’s true nature… I was almost sure we’re going to fall out of our roles.”

“B-but we did it! We really did!” Tsumiki tried to sound cheerful.

“Right!” Mioda caught that. “We were all totally amazing! Especially Nagito-chan and Teruteru-chan, Ibuki’s sooo impressed!”

“I’ve never expected big bro Hanamura to be so skilled!” Saionji said happily.

“I don’t know whether I should feel insulted or praised…”

Hinata turned to Komaeda to see him slid down his barrier and sit on the floor, looking so utterly exhausted that he was sure he’d never seen him like that. While everybody probably noticed that, the only persons who decided to approach him were him and Nanami.

“You okay, Komaeda?” He asked cautiously, crouching down next to him, a little unsure of what to do. He remembered what he said once.

_When I’m acting… I usually try to force myself to feel the same emotions my character feels, so than I’m more believable._

“Ah, Hinata-kun, Nanami-san!” A happy, but definitely fake smile returned to Komaeda’s face. “Sorry that you had to watch this, but it’s for the sake of plot… But maybe I should say hope? Hahah…” He laughed awkwardly. “It must’ve been horrible, I know, I’m truly a worthless piece of t-“

“Don’t say that. You did great, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami said with concern. “How are you feeling? You seem…”

“I’m not important here!” He exclaimed. “I’m just worried how this disgusting performance must’ve affected you, I’m…”

“Komaeda,” Hinata moved his hand to put it on his shoulder. He would’ve preferred his hair, but that wig was making it impossible… “Stop it. You’re completely missing the point here.”

“Huh?” It seemed that they finally caught his attention. “Then what’s the point?”

“We’re worried about you, moron.”

Komaeda looked at him, then at Nanami, then simply lowered his gaze. “I can’t understand you…”

Surprising both of them, Nanami moved closer to Komaeda and simply hugged him, wrapping her arms around him.

“E-eh? Nanami-san!? What are you doing...” He said, sounding lost and confused.

“You just looked like someone who really needed a hug…” She replied, squeezing him tightly. “So I decided to give you one. Sorry.”

“No need… to be sorry…”

Nanami reached for Hinata’s arm and tugged at his sleeve, signalizing him to join them. As embarrassed as he was, he still did that, putting his arms around his friends’ shoulders. The last few hours were tough for all of them.

“How cute.” They could hear Yukizome’s giggle, but none of them reacted. It wasn’t cute. It was simply an attempt of showing support to each other. They were tired, emotional and just wanted to rest.

But… Hinata was still glad to have them – these kind of weird, awkward friends of his. And he was sure that the end of the summer won’t change anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've said that I probably won't manage to post this on time, but I kind of ended up sitting the last three hours trying to finish this chapter, hahah  
> I guess I just like writing this fic a lot. I have a lot of fun with that, and whenever I recall that there are people who are waiting for new chapters I get a big boost of motivation, so thank you for reading, really!


	14. Things that are still a secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, it's me

“Ibuki’s bored,” Mioda sighed, leaning over Hinata’s school desk.

“Then do your homework by yourself, instead of waiting for me to do it,” he said, trying to focus on his math exercises. He didn’t have the time and energy to solve them at home, so he decided to sacrifice his lunch break.

“Hajime-chan knows well that Ibuki has no idea how to do it,” she replied. “In theory we’re attending school, but in practice we’re sometimes leaving on the lunch break, or we don’t go at all…”

It’s been almost two weeks since classes started again. Running between school and the studio turned out to be even more exhausting than simply staying there the whole day, and there was still the thing about homework and catching up with the material they’d missed. At this point, Hinata was seriously reconsidering his life choices.

“Here, copy it and it should be fine. Though I don’t guarantee that it’s all correct.” He handed his notebook to Mioda.

“Hajime-chan is seriously a lifesaver,” she sighed again, taking it. “Ibuki doesn’t know what she would do without him…”

“You would have to repeat a year and study with kids younger than you.”

“Don’t even say things like this!” Mioda yelled with a terrified expression. “What if Ibuki had to repeat two years?! There’s a chance she would end up in the same class as Hiyoko-chan!”

“Just start studying, you dumbass.” Hinata stroked her head with his textbook. “It would be too peaceful without you around.”

“Is Ibuki hearing things or Hajime-chan actually said something nice to her?”

“The first one.”

While his friend was copying his homework he simply stared outside the window. The weather hadn’t changed much during this two weeks – it was still sunny, making it even harder to focus on lessons. Besides, he was always ending up wondering how the others were doing at the moment. Sonia and Tanaka were in the same class, same as Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama, then Koizumi and Tsumiki… But the others were all on their own. Though Nanami told him that her classmates actually started showing interest in what she’s doing as an actress, and apparently they liked listening to her stories…

He was more worried about Komaeda. While he was listening to Mioda’s complaining, his friend (and crush) had to be all by himself… and after he learned he doesn’t even have any family outside of his cousins, he was even more uneasy about it. It’s just… letting him out of sight didn’t seem like a good idea. That’s why he was always hurrying to catch the first train he could after the classes were over.

“Ibuki knows what Hajime-chan is thinking about.”

“H-huh?”

How the hell she was able to figure out he simply wanted to see Komaeda? Was he really that obvious?

“Ibuki also prefers to be in the studio with Chisa-chan and everyone,” she added, but noticed his distress. “What, was Hajime-chan thinking of something else?”

“Of c-course no…”

“Hey, guys, have you seen this?!” One of their classmates entered the room and immediately approached them. He slammed some kind of magazine on Hinata’s desk. “You’re here!”

“What are you talking about?” He asked, raising one eyebrow.

“There’s a whole article about the show you’re playing in, with photos! You’re awesome, guys!” The boy exclaimed.

“Let me see!” One of the girls almost jumped to his desk, opening the magazine.

“I want to see too!”

“Holy crap, you’re seriously getting famous? I can’t believe that!”

Soon a group of teenagers has gathered around Hinata and Mioda, trying to catch a glimpse of the pages on which the article was. The two of them haven’t even seen it before, so they obviously would love to do it now, but it was impossible.

“Oh my god, their costumes actually look cool!”

“And it seems that they’re all buddy-buddy with each other!”

“Hey, who’s that one?” Another girl asked Hinata, pointing at Komaeda. “He’s totally hot. Is he a friend of yours?”

His first impulse was to tell her to keep her hands away from him, but what would be the point of that? It’s not that she was ever going to meet Komaeda in person anyway. And he also had no right to play jealous, because…

Yeah, Komaeda was only his friend.

To his annoyance, Mioda decided to help him.

“Sorry to tell you, but Nagito-chan is already taken,” she stated cheerfully.

“By whom?” Hinata frowned.

“Hajime-chan should know the best!”

“Oh,” the girl sighed, disappointed, then pointed at Souda. “What about that guy?”

“Ah, Kazuichi-chan is totally single,” she laughed. “For now.”

“Eh? For now?” Hinata was slowly beginning to connect the dots. “You mean Souda and…”

Before he could ask the question the bell rang, signalizing the end of their break.

“Crap, Ibuki was supposed to copy the homework!” She yelled in panic, throwing herself back towards her desk and starting to write in her notebook furiously.

Oh well. He will ask her some other time.

***

“Hurry, Hajime-chan, the train won’t wait for us!” Mioda shouted, waiting for him by the door, ready to leave and jumping in one spot.

“I’m coming…”

“You’re slow!” She exclaimed dramatically when he followed her. Knowing that he finally moved his ass, she gave up on waiting and ran towards the exit. They were lucky nobody saw her, running at full speed… With a sigh, Hinata tried to catch up to her.

Somewhere in the middle of their route, just as usual, they met Nanami, still in her school uniform, waiting for them.

“Hinata-kun, Mioda-san, hurry!” She spoke up, but they moved faster than her, so Mioda simply caught her by the hand and pulled along so they wouldn’t lose her anywhere.

“No talking, Chiaki-chan, just run!”

“O-okay…” Nanami muttered, trying not to trip over her own legs. Hinata thought that if Komaeda or Tsumiki were in her place, they would be already on the ground.

The three of them barely managed to get on their train before the door closed. For a moment they just stood there, trying to catch their breath after running their whole way there.

“One day… my heart is going to stop… because of this…” Nanami uttered somehow.

“What’s with your stamina, Chiaki-chan?” Mioda laughed at her, already back to normal.

“I’m… a gamer… I basically don’t do anything… outside of that… Or course I don’t have any stamina…”

“So it’s for your own good.” Mioda shrugged. “It’s not healthy to just sit all day.”

Nanami shot her a glance that obviously meant ‘I don’t really care’.

And of course there were no free sitting places, so they had to stand the whole time. Another reason to wonder why the hell did he sign up for this…

Though these thoughts momentarily disappeared when they finally reached their destination and he noticed a certain owner of messy, light-brown hair, waiting for them on the station. Hinata was well aware that Komaeda hated crowds and noisy places, and yet he was coming to pick them up each day. If that wasn't endearing, then Hinata didn't know what was.

"Nagito-chan!" Mioda yelled, throwing herself in his direction.

"Mioda-san!" The confused look on his face disappeared, making place for a cheerful smile. Honestly, he was so adorable. "And Hinata-kun, and Nanami-san!"

"How long were you waiting?" Hinata asked.

Komaeda laughed half-heartedly. "About half an hour...?"

"What were you doing here for so long?! What are you, stupid?!"

"Sorry," he laughed again. "I met up with Makoto and walked him home, and I didn't feel like going back to my place..."

From what Komaeda told him, he lived alone, but quite close to the Naegis, so he had no problem with visiting them whenever he felt like it. He also used to stay over a lot, so he was almost like a third sibling. After he got casted the visits became less frequent, since he didn't have a lot free time, but Komaeda was trying to meet with them whenever he had some.

"Fine, I get it," Hinata sighed. He instantly felt bad about calling Komaeda stupid, because… he knew him well enough to understand he just didn’t want to be by himself. Even though he definitely wasn’t a people-person, he also didn’t like loneliness. “Are we going to just stand here or what?”

“Let’s go!” Mioda yelled. “Nagito-chan will finally get some action today, right!?”

“Judging from what Yukizome-san said, yes,” he replied, frowning a little.

Since they were on chapter two, Komaeda hadn’t had much to do up till now, as his character was… well, lying all tied up in the old lounge. He was mainly coming to the studio just to spend time with them and watch them rehearse, waiting for his turn.

And finally, today they were supposed to practice that famous conversation between tied up Suzuki and Yokohama. While thinking about it Hinata didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. They’re either going to be unable to act seriously or end up having an existential crisis, as the context of this scene, despite what  it looked like, was pretty cruel.

Now that they didn't have to hurry so much, they slowly made their way to the building while Mioda described their day to Komaeda and he listened to her rambling, sometimes asking some questions. She, of course, had to tell him that a random classmate of them found him hot, making him pretty flustered, though Hinata had no time to appreciate it, having to watch Nanami so she wouldn't walk into some lamp again.

***

"Ah, hello kids!" Yukizome turned away from Kuzuryuu, who looked somehow scared, to greet them. Hinata instantly felt a strong deja vu. "How was your day?"

"What were you doing to Kuzuryuu-san, Yukizome-san...?" Nanami asked hesitantly.

"Threatening him," Pekoyama explained calmly.

"What!?" Hinata and Mioda yelled together.

"Sometimes that's the only way to get him to do something," she added, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Natsumi taught me that."

"So that's what your relationship looks like...?" Komaeda asked.

"Usually not." Pekoyama smiled. "I don't like doing that..."

"Then stop doing it whenever you think it's necessary!" Kuzuryuu shouted. "I mean you too, Yukizome-san!"

"But it works!"

"Because, well, that's kind of impressive... But that's not the point!"

Hinata was almost surprised to not hear Saionji's mocking laughter or some mean comment. He looked around to realize she's nowhere to be seen.

"If you're looking for the blonde demon, she's not here," Souda spoke up, managing to read his mind. "Same with Tsumiki and Koizumi."

"I wonder why they're late..." Yukizome muttered. "Koizumi-san is especially needed today... Maybe I should call her?”

“If they’re still not here, can I go and buy myself something to eat? I’m hungry,” Owari stated.

“Just call Teruteru-chan, Ibuki’s sure he would bring us some food!”

“Give Koizumi-san’s group a little more time,” Sonia said. “I am sure they will appear soon.”

As if confirming her words, the three missing girls appeared in the doorway. Hinata was sure they were running here, as they were breathing unevenly.

“We’re here!” Koizumi uttered. “We’re sorry… for being late…”

“There’s no problem, Hinata-kun, Nanami-san, Mioda-san and Komaeda-kun also only just got here,” Yukizome replied. “But you’re usually early. Did something stop you…?”

“W-we… got into some t-trouble…” Tsumiki said hesitantly, glancing at Saionji. “We were held back by a teacher at o-our school…”

“Yours? You mean the one you and Koizumi attend?” Owari asked, and Tsumiki nodded. “Weren’t Saionji still in middle school?”

“I am,” she exclaimed cheerfully. “But it doesn’t stop me from appearing at big sis Mahiru’s school from time to time!”

“Sometimes I wish you wouldn’t appear…” The red-haired girl sighed.

“Come on, nothing bad happened!” Saionji continued to look very proud of herself. It couldn’t mean anything good. It just couldn’t.

“Hey… Tell me if I’m wrong, but did Saionji just admit she caused you trouble at school?” Kuzuryuu asked cautiously.

“I did!”

“Then why the hell you look so proud of yourself?!”

“And what the hell happened!?” Souda added.

“Mikan-chan was supposed to wait for me by the main gate…” Koizumi began explaining gloomily, and Tsumiki shifted her weight uncomfortably. “And before I joined her, some girls from our school decided to try making fun of her uneven hair. I would have easily told them off if Hiyoko-chan hadn’t turned up first…”

“What did she do…?” Hinata asked, not really sure whether he wanted to know or not.

“I kicked their butts!” Saionji exclaimed, happily raising her hands. “I’ve never seen someone running away this fast!”

“What did you do!?” Souda yelled.

“What, do you want to tell me that I did something bad!?” She frowned. “I just protected that pushover from her bullies!”

“By kicking their asses?!”

“I just got seriously angry, okay?!” She shouted in a defensive tone. “I wouldn’t have been that angry if they had been making fun of her clumsiness or something. No, they had to choose her freaking hair! The thing that actually shows she’s trying to do something with her life, instead of sitting on her butt and rotting somewhere in the corner!”

Hinata noted, that during this exchange Tsumiki looked as if she was about to cry… though he wasn’t sure whether she was upset… or actually the opposite.

“What the hell, Saionji…” Kuzuryuu commented.

“I was just so mad! I’m not going to let anyone bully Tsumiki because of such a stupid reason! They should at least choose a proper one!” Saionji continued her rant. “I can’t believe people are this stupid!”

“…and that’s how we ended up getting a lecture from one of the teachers,” Koizumi concluded. “They would’ve held us back longer if we didn’t have to go to work…”

“They’re probably going to call our homes, but it was totally worth it.” Saionji came back to smiling cheerfully. “Sometimes I regret that I can’t run very fast so I could chase after these bitches.”

She was terrible. And terrifying at the same time.

But Tsumiki looked unexpectedly happy while listening to her…

Well, as weird as her methods were, in the end, she did defend Tsumiki. That itself was probably something to be happy about…

“I wanted to tell you that I’m happy you’re finally here, but now I’m kind of at loss for words…” Yukizome laughed awkwardly. "Anyway, now that all the people involved in the twilight syndrome murder case are here, I will repeat what I'd said before you arrived." She pointed at the script in her hand. "Like you've probably noticed, we decided to elaborate on the past of your characters a little more, and instead of using only the game, we're going to show it in the form of a flashback."

"Ibuki's going to get to wear a school uniform, yahooo!"

"You've been wearing one the whole time. You're literally wearing one right now," Hinata reminded her.

"Oh. Hajime-chan's right."

Meanwhile Yukizome continued her explanation. "We also decided to show the confrontation between Shiina's sister and Misaki, so... as you've probably already figured out, we'll need two more actresses to play these roles."

"Seriously?!" Saionji asked. "Yaaay, two more friends! Maybe finally someone cool will appear!"

"Are you suggesting we're not cool?!" Souda snapped.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Yukizome simply laughed at them, just as always. "I'm glad to see you're so excited about it. I've already chosen the girls that are going to join us for a while. You'll meet them soon, and I really hope you'll get along... Especially the twilight syndrome group."

"How did you chose them, Yukizome-san?" Komaeda asked.

"Both of them showed up at the audition," she replied. "They were good, but unfortunately for them, I decided that this is my perfect cast and couldn't choose them. I contacted them recently and they both were pretty happy that in the end they're going to appear in the show."

"I wonder what kind of person will play Misaki..." Koizumi said.

"Right... Your character is supposed to be her best friend." Hinata recalled what this case was about. It seemed like he would finally have some free time, since they're going to focus on Koizumi's group for some time. Well, the perspective of being the audience once in a while didn't sound so bad...

With the corner of his eye he noticed Kuzuryuu still glaring at Yukizome and Pekoyama simply shrugging her shoulders.

"We're going to find out in a few days," Yukizome concluded. "Okay, time for work!"

***

“Guys, I don’t know if you remember about it, but…” Owari spoke up after Hinata and Koizumi went over their conversation in the hotel restaurant. “…someone has to tie Komaeda up, ya know.”

She definitely had a point. The goal of their rehearsals was to make their acting as believable as possible, so they exactly know what to do and how to control their actions while being filmed… They actually should tie him up, even though they were only practicing.

But… to Hinata, the thought of being all tied up in front of everyone was so utterly embarrassing that he couldn’t even imagine how Komaeda must’ve felt…. Though when they exchanged looks, he looked pretty calm and unfazed by that idea.

“If it’s going to be Hinata-kun, then I don’t mind it,” he stated with a carefree smile.

“The way you said it makes it sound as if I’m some second-rate pervert,” Hinata said, not feeling calm at all. Actually, he was beginning to get nervous.

“And you want to tell me that you aren’t?” Saionji snickered. “All boys are dirty perverts, big bro Souda being the worst one.”

“Hey, Ibuki’s pretty sure Teruteru-chan is worse… Kazuichi-chan isn’t even half this bad… And Hajime-chan isn’t even half as bad as Kazuichi-chan…”

“Then he sounds rather innocent,” Sonia concluded, ignoring the sounds of discontent that Souda was making. “I think we can let him tie Komaeda-san up.”

“Sonia-san… You’re making it even worse, I think…” Nanami commented, probably noticing Hinata’s helpless expression.

“Have some fucking decency,” Kuzuryuu said with a frown. “You’re accusing guys of being perverts when you’re no better.”

He just knew that it’s going to end this way…

“Sorry for that…” Hinata muttered, taking the rope they had prepared earlier and kneeling down beside Komaeda.

“I said that it’s fine if it’s you,” he replied quietly, letting him first wrap the rope around his legs. “Though I would probably be less fine with anyone else doing it…”

“…why?”

“I don’t know.” Komaeda shrugged. “Well, being tied is not exactly comfortable, but we’re friends, so it doesn’t feel threatening in any way, you know?”

“O-okay…” Hinata wasn’t sure if he gets his way of thinking.

After the awkward struggling with his assigned task, Hinata finally got up, leaving Komaeda on the floor. “So… I guess we’re ready to start…”

“Then let’s begin with you entering the room,” Yukizome advised. “I imagine it’s a pretty difficult scene, since your characters didn’t interact at all since the trial, so take your time with trying how to approach it.”

Hinata stopped in front of the door and, like always, took a deep breath.

“Why… am I so nervous…?” He muttered, seemingly to himself. He stood still for a moment, then pushed the door open.

The expression on Komaeda’s face instantly changed, as he switched into his ‘acting mode’. He narrowed his eyes and smiled in a way that still managed to make Hinata uncomfortable.

“…Yokohama-kun?” He spoke up in a low voice, sounding as if he was mocking him. “Ah, could it be…? Did you take time out of your busy day to bring some food to the little old me? I’m so happy~!”

Ugh. While he was playing the game Mioda made fun of this scene too many times to not find it somewhat funny, but now…

“As you can see, I can’t exactly greet you with my full hospitality…” Komaeda sighed, now seemingly tired, then laughed. “But feel free to relax.”

It wasn’t even that hard to give him a hostile look.

“Huh? What happened? Your face looks kind of scary…”

“I didn’t come here to talk to you,” Hinata said firmly. “I just came to bring you some food. So, come on, eat it.”

Komaeda looked at him with an unreadable expression, unexpectedly falling silent. It would be the first time something like this has happened...

"Is anything wrong?" Hinata asked, and Komaeda's face twitched.

"I'm sorry, but..." He began, but fell silent again. He seemed to be...

...holding back from laughing?

"Just spit it out," Hinata said, quite confused.

"I know this scene is supposed to be serious, and that I'm playing a character who haven't eaten anything in a few days, but..." Komaeda started giggling quietly. "I've heard enough from Komaru and Fukawa-san about how suggestive this scene looks to not be able to stay serious."

_Suggestive..._

Hinata could instantly feel his cheeks heating up. He was well aware was Komaeda meant by that. And it's not like Mioda didn't point that out before. He just tried to forget, push his embarrassment aside and be professional.

"Now you've really done it, Komaeda-kun." Nanami's loud whisper could certainly be heard by anyone in the room.

“What the hell, Komaeda,” Kuzuryuu said with a terrified face, while Mioda just burst out laughing.

“Ibuki has been waiting for someone to bring that up!” She shouted. “Don’t be shy, Nagito-chan, just say that line!”

“I’m not shy, it’s just-“ He couldn’t even finish a sentence without giggling.

“Say it and use big bro Hinata’s name,” Saionji suggested, successfully shutting him up. This time his face also flushed red, so Hinata was no longer alone in this. He would be almost thankful to Saionji if it wasn’t just as embarrassing for him.

“Feed me, Yokohama-kun,” Mioda tried to imitate Komaeda’s voice.

“He should’ve fed him,” Owari added. “Food’s an important thing, ya know.”

“You’re the worst,” he hissed, praying for Nanami or Yukizome to help them, but now of all times they decided to just watch. They were all the worst.

The person that decided to end his suffering turned out to be Koizumi.

“Girls, stop it. We’re not here to fool around,” she stated, cutting off their silly comments. “Let them get their work done.”

“It was Komaeda-san that started it,” Sonia said, but didn’t protest any further.

“I truly regret it. I’m sorry,” he muttered, still red. He couldn’t even hide that by turning away, since he was tied up. “Forgive me.”

“Your punishment will be going over this scene to the end,” Hinata exclaimed. “You still have to say it, you know.”

“I am beginning to pity you,” Tanaka spoke up, despite earlier ignoring them.

“Yeah, they’re quite pitiful,” Saionji added.

“I do not think Tanaka-san meant it that way…” Sonia said under her breath.

“Doesn’t matter, they’re still losers!”

Hinata just sighed and glanced at Komaeda. “Ready to start from the beginning? This time without stupid comments and laughing, dumbass.”

“I’ll try. My hands are starting to hurt…” He muttered, shifting slightly. It must’ve been really uncomfortable… “I don’t like that…”

“Let’s go over this quickly so I can untie you, okay?” Hinata smiled at him reassuringly, earning a small nod in response.

***

“I guess that’s all for today,” Yukizome finally stated. Hinata wasn’t sure if they got it right or she just didn’t want to torment them anymore. When they’d put jokes aside, it was clear as day that Komaeda again was uncomfortable with playing his role. As far as Hinata knew him, he definitely wouldn’t show anything during the actual recording, but now there were those hesitant looks and aversion in his voice that were betraying him. “You all look tired. Go home and get some sleep, okay? Tomorrow is Friday, so we’ll probably work a bit longer. Also, if you want, those who have some parts to practice can come here after lunch break.”

“Cool, sounds like a day easier to survive,” Hinata sighed, sitting down on the floor and yawning. Lately everything was pretty frantic…

“Thanks god most of us are second years,” Souda said.

“R-right…” Tsumiki agreed. “If we were third years, it would be…”

“Hell,” Kuzuryuu finished.

“I’m going to stay at school till my classes end,” Koizumi stated despite all.

“Uhm… I know I’m probably easy to forget about… but could someone please untie me?” Komaeda spoke up quietly, as if hesitant whether he should even ask about it.

“Eh? What are you guys waiting for, untie him!” Saionji commended. “I don’t like looking at big bro Komaeda when he looks like this.”

“O-of course! We should’ve done it first!” Tsumiki rushed to help him, but she tripped over and fell, making all of them sigh. In the end it was Tanaka who reached him first and began to loosen the knots.

“No, I completely understand why would you leave me alone. That’s why I didn’t know if I have the right to ask…” He muttered, sounding a little out of it. That alone was a sign that they should had noticed it sooner…

“What are you talking about, Komaeda-kun…?” Nanami asked in a confused voice.

“I mean, it’s completely reasonable to tie up and leave like that someone like me, right?” He said cheerfully, rubbing his most likely hurting wrists. “I don’t expect a treatment any different, really, though I can’t say I like it…”

“What part of it seems reasonable to you?” Even thinking about that was making Hinata sick. How the hell did he come up with a conclusion like this…?

“Then it’s not?” He looked as if he didn’t understand. Again. “Ah, then maybe you just don’t care? Or you enjoy the thought of making someone helpless?”

The whole room fell silent, just like that time when Komaeda snapped at Souda some weeks ago.

But listening to Komaeda’s words now… seemed even worse.

“What the hell…?” Souda muttered. “Where the fuck did that come from!?”

“So I’m wrong again…?” He pressed one of his hands into his chest, still holding his wrist, and let his hair cover his face.  “What the hell…”

“Of course you’re wrong!” Owari shouted. “Accusing us or something like this… what’re you even thinking about…”

Without another word , he shakily stood up and ran out of the room. Running away, just like back then, leaving them speechless and so utterly confused that they didn’t know what to do.

After that argument with Souda Hinata’s first instinct was to run after him, but now even he was pretty dumbfounded.

“Tsumiki.” He turned to her, remembering that sometimes she seemed to get Komaeda better than him. “What just happened…?”

“I d-don’t know…” She replied, still looking at the door. “He p-probably… reacted badly to something we did…”

“But we didn’t do anything wrong!” Koizumi exclaimed. “What’s with him!?”

“Should I go after him…?” Hinata was still looking at Tsumiki. “No… Can I go after him?”

She nodded, but didn’t seem very sure of that. Despite everything, Hinata still stood up and followed the other boy out of the room, hoping that he wasn’t fast enough to already leave the building.

He wasn’t, but when Hinata entered the corridor he could only catch a glimpse of him storming out through the exit door. He didn’t even change his clothes, just grabbed his things and ran away.

“Komaeda, wait!” He called out to him, but got no response.

Though he desperately needed an answer. He was getting impatient with simply waiting for Komaeda to fess up what’s wrong, when he could clearly see there were things he continued to keep a secret. Especially when something like this happened again…

He just wanted to know what happened to change him into such a person. If he knew, he would somehow figure out how to deal with that.

Because he cared. He cared a fucking lot, but he was still helpless. And caring didn’t mean a thing if he couldn’t react somehow. His feelings were meaningless if they couldn’t reach the person they were directed at...

He didn’t chase after him. He let him leave, knowing that stopping him would only make things worse, since he didn’t know what to do anyway.

When he turned back he saw Nanami, looking at him with a worried face.

“What are we supposed to do…?” She nearly whispered. “I feel… like it’s wrong to leave it like this… but…”

“It’s wrong,” he said. “But do we know what’s right?”

“No.” She hung her head, pulling at her sleeves.

“Correct answer,” Hinata replied, trying not to sound depressed. Showing how helpless he felt to Nanami wouldn’t do any good. “But it’ll be fine somehow. I’ll call him when I get home, okay?”

The girl nodded, but probably none of them believed Hinata would achieve anything.

***

Later that day Hinata was lying on his bed with his phone next to him. It was late, but not late enough for him to be asleep yet. He was tired, but at the same time just as frustrated, what kept him awake.

He picked the cell phone after hearing a quiet sound signalizing he’d received a message.

 

_You have a message from: Chiaki Nanami_

any info from Komaeda-kun?

 

He tried calling him at least five times before giving up, coming to a conclusion that not only he wouldn’t get any response, but also come off as annoying. If Komaeda didn’t want to pick up his damn phone, he wouldn’t do it. He could be freaking stubborn sometimes, and… the thought of someone being worried about him probably didn’t even cross his mind.

Even if Komaeda would show up in the studio, acting as if nothing happened, Hinata wanted some explanations. Not even from him, pressuring him into telling Hinata something he didn’t tell up till now didn’t seem like a good idea. Yukizome probably also wouldn’t tell him anything, though he was sure she knew…

He typed a reply to Nanami with a resigned sigh, feeling defeated for now. He hoped tomorrow would bring some kind of a miraculous answer.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I made you wait so long! November is a pretty busy month ;-; Though I'll probably finish writing the next chapter by next Friday, since I'm not really happy with this one, and I don't like the way I ended it...   
> As always thank you for all the feedback this fic gets, it's my main motivation!


	15. Now it seems obvious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finally appears in person in this chapter!

"Komaeda-kun called me and said he's going to be absent today," Yukizome told them the next day. She didn't seem happy to do it, seeing the disappointment on Hinata’s and Nanami's faces...

_Ah. So in the end, no miraculous answer today…_

"What happened to Nagito-chan?" Mioda asked in a worried tone. She also liked Komaeda a lot, so it was no surprise that she wanted everything to be okay again.

"He said that he doesn't feel well, so he would probably only bother us today..." Their supervisor replied. "Though I doubt that's all..."

"Of course," Souda snarked. "He's probably ashamed of what he's pulled yesterday. I'm not even surprised."

"It's not like it's that big of a deal," Owari sighed. "He's weird, and what? We've known about it for a while..."

"How can you be so calm about it? He talks nonsense whenever he feels like it!" Souda exclaimed. So, despite all, he kept his hostile attitude towards Komaeda.

"Souda," Hinata spoke up. "Do me a favor and shut up."

"You too, Hinata?" He frowned. "Of course, what did I even expect, you and that guy are practically inseparable..."

"Cut it out, Souda," Nidai said. "We're his friends, so we should be a little more forgiving."

"Komaeda-san's words caught me a little off guard..." Sonia began. "But I think Nidai-san is right."

"He'll have to face us sooner or later, so let's just wait for what he has to say," Koizumi sighed. "There's a lot of scenes we can rehearse without him, right? Since he basically has anything to do only during the investigation and trial. Leave him be."

"I don't think just 'leaving him be' is the right thing to do..." Nanami muttered.

"Then what do you expect us to do?" Kuzuryuu glanced at her. "Make him a 'get well soon' card?"

"Of c-course not..."

"I hope Komaeda-san w-will come back tomorrow though..." Tsumiki stated. "He's a part of the group a-after all..."

Hinata checked his phone once again to make sure Komaeda didn't reply to any of his texts. Of course he didn't. Stubborn asshole. He didn't know his address, so he couldn't pay him an unexpected visit... Even getting in touch with Tanaka would be easier if he was the one to disappear.

"I'm sure he's going to be fine!" Yukizome suddenly smiled, raising her clenched fists. "I've known him even before any of you and he always was a bit strange, but he's also a very strong-willed person, so I believe in him! When he comes back let's give him a warm welcome, okay?"

"Okay!" Mioda and Saionji yelled together.

"Of course," Sonia added with a smile, what caused Souda to look as if he felt guilty. The others mostly just nodded, but that made Hinata think that maybe it really would end as a not-very-important incident and nobody would make a big deal out of it. It would be honestly great.

***

Left without their usual third companion, both Hinata and Nanami felt a little out of place during the break. Most of times it was Hinata and Komaeda who kept their conversations going, with Nanami playing something on her console and adding her thoughts to it. Sometimes she would get annoyed at some seemingly unbeatable game and make them laugh at her puffed cheeks and irritated voice. Then Komaeda would comment on how he's sure she would beat it next time... Even when he was practicing with Yukizome, it didn't feel that bad, because they knew he would return soon.

Hinata remembered that one time she just bluntly asked if he 'liked liked' Komaeda, and he, just as bluntly, said yes. Nanami simply went 'aha' and left it like that. He was quite grateful to her for her indifferent attitude, but maybe she was just being considerate of his feelings... Mioda definitely wouldn't react this way.

"Are you really this worried about him?" They heard Kuzuryuu's voice while sitting on the stairs leading to the cafe, Nanami furiously pressing the buttons on her console in a gesture of frustration, and him just sitting there in silence. “Man, he’s not a child anymore. We’re all almost adults.”

“He can be surprisingly childish sometimes,” Hinata stated.

“Hinata-kun means that we really are worried…” Nanami muttered. “Because when it comes to Komaeda-kun, you never know what you should expect… or so I think…”

Kuzuryuu sat down next to Hinata with a sigh. “You really don’t know what you should do, am I right?”

“If you know, then tell me. I would be grateful,” Hinata said.

“If you don’t know, then how do you expect us to know?”

“What do you take me for, some kind of psychic?”

“Damn no, but it’s you who’s in love with him, not any of us!” Kuzuryuu exclaimed finally.

“Right, it always comes down to this, what did I even…” Hinata began talking, then abruptly stopped. “What did you say!?”

“You mean that none of us is in love with Komaeda…?”

“No, earlier!”

“Ah, that. That you are the one in love with him.” Kuzuryuu shrugged his shoulders. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

"When the hell did you come up with that conclusion?!"

"Wait, you mean you haven't noticed?!" Kuzuryuu looked pretty shocked by that. "How the fuck?!"

"Well, I've noticed that I have a crush on him... but there's a difference between having a crush on someone and being in love with them, right!?"

"If you ask me, you're as obvious as Sonia and Tanaka," he stated with a resigned sigh.

"You mean as you and Pekoyama?"

"Shut up, you asshole!"

But that made Hinata think. Was he really in love with Komaeda...? Were those feelings really strong enough to call them love?

He recalled how their relationship progressed from the moment they'd met. They went from accidental buddies to really close friend in a relatively short span of time, and the others pointed out many times that they seem basically inseparable. Hinata had always felt more relaxed around Komaeda, despite all his flaws his presence was comforting. He loved his smile and wanted to keep it. He wanted to hold his hand without having to pull away. That simple curiosity from the beginning changed into a strong desire to learn about him more, to know him better, to be close to him. He was aware of Komaeda's bad points, but he was also sure he'd want to be with him despite them. So... maybe... it really was...

"Holy crap, you might be right," he said out loud, looking at Kuzuryuu with wide eyes. "I really do love him."

"Thanks for confirming the obvious, captain," the other snarked. "I can't fucking believe I could see it before you. Nanami, why didn't you try to make him realize that?"

She looked up from the screen of her console. "I'm bad at dating sims, let alone at real-life relationships..."

"Yeah, but this is a goddamn joke..."

"I don't want to hear that from the guy that still can't confess to his childhood friend," Hinata muttered.

"Shut up, I'll do it!" Kuzuryuu's face instantly flushed pink. "I'll fucking do it, I'm... just... waiting for the right moment!"

"Since how many years? Because for me it's been only some weeks, you know..."

"So this is what I get for trying to help you?! Fine, you ungrateful bastard!" He yelled, wanting to get up, but Hinata stopped him.

"Sorry, I didn't want to make you angry," he said. "I'm just... kind of angry at myself... for not being able to do anything."

"Then do something?"

"But... he doesn't pick up the phone when I call him..." he said gloomily. "I don't know where he lives... and I'm sure Yukizome-san won't tell me anything, since it's about his private matters..."

Kuzuryuu gave him a look that could only mean he'd missed something.

"Hinata... I've always considered you a smart guy, but here you go, fucking disappointing me."

"So, where did I make a mistake?"

"Besides Komaeda and Yukizome-san there's one more person that I'm sure can tell you anything you want to know," he stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I can't believe you forgot."

"Then who is it?" Hinata asked, slowly getting impatient. If he could figure it out by himself he wouldn't be sitting there and sulking.

"Ah," Nanami uttered suddenly, looking like she'd just realized something.

"Tell him, Nanami."

The girl turned to Hinata. "Naegi-kun. Komaeda-kun’s cousin.”

For a moment he froze, processing her words. The thought of contacting Makoto Naegi honestly hadn’t even crossed his mind, even though it was obvious that there was no one who would know Komaeda better than him. He just… sort of forgot, since to him Naegi was still some kind of a distant idol he’d never met.

“You want me to… meet with Naegi? This Naegi?” He asked to make himself sure.

Nanami nodded. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Naegi-kun is an extremely nice person, so I’m sure he’ll help…”

“I can’t imagine him as anything but nice, though still…”

“Nanami, is there a way for us to get his phone number?” Kuzuryuu asked bluntly, not letting Hinata hesitate.

Nanami nodded once again, pulling out her phone. “I can call Chihiro… I think he should know his number.”

“Great. Do it.”

“Are we really doing it?” Hinata knitted his brows together.

“Do you want to know what the hell is wrong with the person you love?”

_The person you love._ At these words Hinata completely stopped objecting to this idea, feeling something like butterflies in his stomach. It was a pretty nice feeling though…

Meanwhile Nanami found the contact saved as ‘Chihiro’, pressed the right button and raised the phone to her ear. After a moment they could hear someone’s muffled voice.

“ _Hi, Chiaki. Do you need anything?”_

_“Yhm, actually, I do…”_ She said to the phone. “ _I’m not sure if that’s not a problem, but… could you send me Naegi-kun’s number? It’s an emergency…”_

_“An emergency? Did something happen?”_ Chihiro Fujisaki sounded a little worried. _“And… why Makoto-kun?”_

_“It’s about Komaeda-kun…”_ Nanami explained. _“We need his help with something.”_

_“Then… I think it’s okay…”_ Fujisaki said hesitantly. _“I don’t think he’d be angry if I gave it to you… so wait a moment, I’ll send you a message.”_

“ _Okay.”_ Nanami smiled. _“Thanks, Chihiro.”_

_“No problem! I’m glad I can help you.”_

And just like that they hung up. This whole conversation didn’t take longer than a minute, and about half a minute later Nanami received a message with the number they needed.

“That was… surprisingly easy,” Hinata muttered, typing the digits on his own phone.

“If you had just thought for a moment you could’ve done it without my help,” Kuzuryuu commented. “Now you owe me a favor.”

First Koizumi, now him… Soon he will owe something to everyone in the group just because he wanted to help someone else. Great.

For a moment he simply stared at the screen displaying Naegi’s number. Making a short call should be easy, why was he so nervous… Well, definitely because it concerned Komaeda, but also…

“Just fucking call him, what are you waiting for?”

“But…”

“I’m getting tired of this,” Kuzuryuu said with irritation in his voice. “Give me this goddamn phone, I’ll do it.”

Before Hinata could protest he snatched it away from him and pressed the button initiating a call.

"Hey, give it back!" Hinata in panic reached to take the device back, but Kuzuryuu moved away from him, putting his hand between them.

"No way," he replied, waiting for a response from the speaker. "You can't get anything done by yourself, so I'm going to force you!"

"That's not a good method!"

And then, a soft, kind of familiar-sounding voice could be heard from the phone. He picked up before Hinata could prevent it in any way.

_“Yes…? Who is it?”_

“...I hate you,” Hinata whispered to Kuzuryuu, who decided not to waste time.

_“Hello, I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, you might or might not who I am, but if you don’t, then it’s your loss. Are you Makoto Naegi?”_

“Give it back, Kuzuryuu!” Hinata made one more attempt to take back his property, but it was no use.

_“Ehm… I am, but…”_

_“I’m calling in the name of a guy called Hajime Hinata, because he’s a fucking coward and-“_

“I’m not!” He yelled, finally managing to reach the device and take over this stupid conversation. “ _I’m really sorry for this, it’s Hinata here… I can’t believe he just went and did that…”_

_“It’s fine, but…”_ The boy on the other side laughed hesitantly. “ _I have no idea what’s going on.”_

It hit Hinata how much his voice resembled Komaeda’s. If it wasn’t for their tone, there would be a real possibility of mistaking them… Naegi’s voice was a bit higher, but overall really similar.

“ _I know who you are though. You’re Nagito’s friends, right?”_

_“Yeah, we are… And…”_ Hinata took a deep breath, knowing that there’s no running away now. “ _It’s probably easy to guess, but we’re calling because of him.”_

_“I can’t say your reason is surprising… But I’m surprised that you decided to contact me,”_ Naegi said.

_“I’ll be blunt, sorry. I need help of someone who knows him well, so… I was wondering whether you would agree to meet me, so we can talk,”_ Hinata stated.

It was insane. He basically asked a person he really admired to meet him so they could talk about his cousin in whom he’s in love. How did he end up in this situation.

“ _O-okay… I don’t really have anything against it, I’ve heard about you enough to want to meet you too…”_ Naegi said, probably a little taken aback by Hinata’s words. “ _When do you have time?”_

_“The sooner we get this done, the better, so… For me, even today after work is fine,”_ he replied.

For a moment Naegi stayed silent, thinking whether he should agree or not. “ _Okay. Let’s meet today then,”_ he stated finally. _“Do you know that café near the train station?”_

_“Yeah, I know which one you’re talking about.”_

_“Then go there after you’re finished, okay? Ah, and could you send me a message, so I won’t be late?”_ Naegi asked politely.

_“Of course,”_ Hinata replied. _“Thanks for being so understanding. And sorry for troubling you…”_

_“There’s no problem!”_ He said. _“I probably know what you want to talk about, and… I kind of think it’s a conversation I would eventually end up having with you anyway… So see you later, Hinata-kun.”_

It was weird to hear someone with a voice really similar to Komaeda’s, but not being him, address him this way. _“Yhm, see you later.”_

He ended the phone call and for a moment stared at the device in his hand, then decided to save Naegi’s number, just in case he ever needed it again.

“I can’t believe I did that,” he muttered.

“Was it really that scary?” Nanami asked with amusement in her voice.

“Less than I’ve imagined,” he sighed. “Want to go with me?”

“I would love to, but…” She paused. “If anyone among us has the right to meddle in Komaeda-kun’s private life… then I think it’s you.”

“Man, just go on your date with Naegi and don’t worry about anything. I know you’d prefer Komaeda, but you’ll have to settle for his cousin for now,” Kuzuryuu said.

“And how about you finally settling for Pekoyama instead of avoiding the topic?”

“You’re slowly starting to get on my nerves, Hinata.”

So it was fine to force him to take action, while he himself didn’t want to do anything. Talk about injustice. But still… Kuzuryuu certainly had good intentions and was doing it for their sake. Hinata always knew he’s a good guy despite his attitude, but didn’t expect him to do something like this.

“You know, Kuzuryuu…” He spoke up. “Thanks. Without you, I’d probably still be going in circles.”

“Don’t thank me. We’re friends. And watching you struggle is not really fun.”

As much as Hinata loved acting and spending time in the studio, now he just couldn’t wait for this day to end.

***

After work he took a shower and changed his clothes as fast as he could, trying to ignore how empty the dressing room felt. Then, having said goodbye to Nanami and Mioda earlier, he just left the building, sending Naegi a message on the run. He didn’t know how far away he lived, though he hoped it wasn’t too far. He just wanted to already figure out the truth, despite being slightly nervous. It was Makoto Naegi after all.

When he found himself in the right place, for a moment he just stood in front of the door, trying to sort out the things he wanted to ask him. Why was Komaeda reacting so strongly to some things? What caused that? Why was Komaeda so uncomfortable with playing his role? Why happened to make him drop out of school? Why does he value himself so little, despite being so kind, so smart and generally a wonderful person?

There were just so many things he wanted to know… So he just pushed the door open and entered the café, looking around in order to spot the boy he only knew from photos.

“Hinata-kun, here!” The surprisingly familiar voice reached his ears and forced him to look in the direction it was coming from, a couch near the window.

There he was. A brown-haired boy with green-gray eyes and a kind smile, waving at him. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking a similar thing as when he'd met Nanami for the first time – Naegi looked like a really gentle and kind person, someone whom he’d have no trouble befriending.

“Ehm… Hello,” he muttered, still feeling a bit awkward. “Nice to meet you…”

“Same goes to you,” Naegi replied. “I’ve heard a lot about you, so it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You’ve heard about me…?” Hinata was a little surprised. Like, it seemed obvious that Naegi would know who he is, since Komaeda probably mentioned him, but mentioning is different from hearing a lot…

“Yeah,” he laughed. “Nagito talks about you and Nanami-san whenever we meet, so I know quite a lot about you.”

“Knowing him, I can’t be sure what kind of things he’s told you…” Hinata muttered, taking a sit on the opposite side of the table.

“Don’t worry. These were only good things,” Naegi said with a smile. “Nagito never talks bad things about the people he likes.”

That sounded almost like a compliment.

“Excuse me, can I take your orders?” A waitress asked, approaching them while they were talking. Right… they were in a café…

Hinata decided that ordering a coffee wouldn’t hurt, and Naegi got himself a hot chocolate. It somehow seemed to fit him… Though if it was Komaeda, he would definitely choose coffee. They were similar, but Hinata already began to notice the differences…

It was starting to dawn on him what Leon Kuwata meant when describing Komaeda and Naegi as being similar, but at the same time not.

“In normal circumstances I would probably be freaking out over the fact that I finally got to meet you…” he said and Naegi gave him a curious look.

“Why is that?”

“Come on, you’re the actor that played Kanata Hongo, my favorite character from the first Danganronpa game,” he reminded him. “Give me an autograph some other time.”

“Okay,” Naegi let out a chuckle, but then suddenly became serious. “So, the reason we’re here…”

“…is obviously your cousin, Nagito Komaeda,” Hinata sighed. “First I want to clarify that it’s not because he did something terrible or anything like that, okay? I’m just… worried.”

“…worried?”

“I… actually know very little about him,” he admitted. “But I know he doesn’t have many friends, if he even has any… So I wanted you to know I’m here as his friend. Maybe even best friend.”

“Don’t worry, I know,” Naegi said. “After hearing so many good things about you, I would never suspect you of anything else. Though… I didn’t expect you to call me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t do it if Komaeda wasn’t so set on making me worry about him in the first place.” Hinata shrugged. “Getting to the topic… You know that he didn’t come to the studio today, right?”

Naegi nodded.

“Do you know the reason?”

“He didn’t want to tell me anything.” He lowered his gaze, seemingly ashamed.

“Well, that’s fine if you don’t know, because I know. Yesterday he reacted strangely to something, said some unpleasant things and then left,” Hinata explained vaguely. “I tried calling him, but it’s no use. He’s completely ignoring me since then.”

“So you want to…”

“I want to know what’s wrong with him,” Hinata said firmly. “Please… Tell me everything you can. I know I may seem nosy right now, but I need to know.”

Naegi didn’t say anything for a moment, simply looking at him hesitantly. He was probably wondering whether it was alright for him to have a conversation like this behind Komaeda’s back…

“It’s going to be fine, isn’t it…” he sighed in the end, giving up. “I probably shouldn’t agree… But if it’s you, then I think it’s okay. He treasures you a lot.”

_He treasures you a lot._ Hinata was pretty sure his heart started beating faster. He had no reason to doubt Naegi’s words, so it’s probably true.

“So… maybe first tell me what do you know,” he suggested. For a moment Hinata wondered what he meant by that.

“I know that you, your sister and your parents are his only family. I also know that he’s studying at home instead of attending school, but I don’t know the reason. That’s all when it comes to facts, the rest are just the things I’ve learned myself.”

“So I should probably start from the very beginning. It may end up as a long story though,” Naegi sighed.

“I don’t mind. If it helps me understands him even a little better, I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

“I see you’re really set on this. So… where should I begin…” Naegi laughed half-heartedly, then brought his hand to his chin. “We’ve been together ever since we were kids. I mean me, Komaru and Nagito. He’s always been a little more withdrawn though, I guess being cautious is a part of his personality. Whenever his parents didn’t have time to look after him, he was just ending up at our place, playing with us.”

Hinata could definitely imagine this. From everything he’s heard about Naegi he appeared to be almost naive, and naive was a thing Komaeda definitely wasn’t. It wasn’t unlikely that it always was like that…

“About his parents…” Naegi immediately saddened, looking away. “It’s no use lying, so… Nagito’s parents were quite rich. They led a small, but prosperous company and worked almost all the time… but they still had a good relationship with Nagito. Whenever they had time, they were spending it with him. I remember them as really good people, maybe a little strict, but at the same time kind.”

Komaeda never talked about his parents, only about the Naegi’s…

“They’d died during Nagito’s first year of middle school. You know about it, right?” Naegi asked him.

Hinata nodded. “I know they’d died in an accident… but I didn’t know when…”

First year of middle school. Someone this age is still just a little kid…

“There’s… sort of more to it,” he continued his story. “They’d died in a plane crash. And… Nagito was supposed to be on that plane too. Uncle and aunt were going on some business trip and wanted to take him with them, so they could spend some time together, but he got sick and stayed with us. So… being sickly as a child actually saved him.”

“But…” Hinata opened his mouth, then closed it. He knew what he wanted to say, but it sounded so bad…

“Yeah…” Naegi muttered, understanding him without words. “There’s no way something like this wouldn't have made him feel guilty, even though he did nothing wrong.”

Survivor’s guilt. That’s the first thing Hinata thought of, and he didn’t like it at all. When Komaeda told him about his parents he definitely felt sad… but now it was incomparably worse. Knowing the details was… depressing at least.

“My parents wanted to take him into custody back then, but he refused to live with us, claiming that he’s better on his own. That’s when he kind of started isolating himself from us. And probably not only from us…” Naegi went on. “Though a loss like that would make anyone act differently from normal. We of course were worried, but decided to give him some time… But apparently not everyone was so understanding.”

Hinata hated where this was going. “What do you mean?”

“I already told you that Nagito was always a reserved person, so he wasn’t good at making friends. He still didn’t fit into the reality of his new school when the accident happened, and the way he behaved after that surely didn’t make it any easier…” Naegi stopped for a moment and looked at him. “Hinata-kun… To bullies, a lonely, rich child always seems like an easy victim. Especially if they know their weakness.”

He clenched his fists under the table. Of course. He could’ve expected this. There were many things in Komaeda’s behavior that suggested it…

Also, didn’t Koizumi say something similar?

_You know, a rich, lonely kid always looks like an easy target._

“Fucking scumbags…” He hissed under his breath.

“At first, we didn’t even know anything. We were still elementary school students, and, like I said, Nagito isolated himself from us. He probably didn’t want to trouble us… And he’s good at pretending everything is fine,” Naegi said sadly. “After a while we started noticing something… though we still didn’t know how bad it was. We realized the truth only after I became a student at the same middle school as him… Say, Hinata-kun. Judging from his personality, how do you think he dealt with being targeted?”

He thought for a moment, recalling those moments when someone unconsciously provoked Komaeda. The answer seemed obvious. “He fought back.”

“You seem certain of that…” Naegi noted. “Actually, when Nagito finds someone better than him, he doesn’t mind being treated badly. I know it sounds bad, but it really is like that. Though I doubt anyone Nagito sees like that would descend to becoming a bully, so… You’re exactly right. He did fight back.” He made another pause. “I couldn’t do anything. I feel terrible with that, but he most likely avoided me on purpose, so nobody would even realize we’re related and target me too… Because it really was bad. It was basically a war.”

“Who the hell targets a kid who just lost his parents?” Hinata couldn’t listen to this anymore. “It’s beyond cruel…”

“I know,” Naegi agreed quietly. “That’s why I wanted to help him somehow… But Nagito isn’t a person who need protecting. He prefers solving problems on his own, even though his methods sometimes are questionable.”

“…questionable?”

“He isn’t one to fight back using force. You know him, he isn’t physically strong, so… He uses words and tricks,” he stated. “He’s smart. If he wants to screw someone over, he will find a way to do it… He’s probably far more cunning than you take him for. But don’t think badly of him, okay?”

“I won’t. He’s not the one at fault,” he replied. “But it’s probably better that you warned me.”

“I don’t think he would pull off anything like that the way he is now.” Naegi smiled at him reassuringly. “But back then…By the time he was a third year student, he caused two of his bullies to get expelled from school, without even suffering any consequences himself.”

“How the hell did he do that?!” Hinata almost yelled. He did say that he’s sure Komaeda fought back, but that polite kid caused someone to get expelled?!

“I don’t know the details,” Naegi added immediately. “Knowing him, he could’ve done it by accident…”

“That sounds even more scary…”

“He’s not that scary, believe me,” he said with a sad face. “Anyone would’ve had enough if they were him. I don’t know what exactly had been happening, but it left him tired, scared of many things and even more withdrawn than before. When he was finally graduating, he didn’t even seem to care anymore, and that was the worst part of it. Almost as if he’d accepted it…”

Because he probably did. That’s why Hinata was struggling so badly to make Komaeda believe he actually sees him as a friend.

“He got so used to people being his enemies, that he doesn’t even understand what it means to have friends…” He said quietly, though it still sounded heavy as hell.

“That’s exactly it.” Naegi nodded. “He’s a good actor, but we are family, we could see how exhausted it had left him. That’s why we didn’t protest when he said he’s not going to high school… And it was actually a good decision. He started to hang out with us again, and generally was in better condition. The thing that worried us was that he didn’t want to leave his house too willingly… But it was still better than before, so we began to think that maybe with time, and some encouragement from our side, he will get better.”

Hinata wondered what he would’ve done if he had known Komaeda back then, when he was alone against many. Would he have defended him? Or would he have pretended that some weird kid’s problems are none of his business?

The fact that the second option was a possibility made him feel sick of himself.

“After by a total accident I got casted as Kanata, I saw a chance of helping Nagito with that. While he was practicing my lines with me, I've noticed that he's really good at acting, probably a lot better than me, so... I thought that maybe he'd enjoy watching us in action. I asked Yukizome-san and my friends, and none of them had any problems with him visiting us. It turned out that I was right, and he actually had fun while spending time in the studio. He was still keeping his distance, but I guess it's impossible to expect anything different after everything he went through...” Naegi sighed. It must’ve been hard for him too, as it was obvious that he cared about his cousin a lot. “When the audition for the second series was announced, me and Komaru saw it as an even bigger chance. If Nagito felt like an outsider among my friends, then maybe it would be different if he was a part of the cast himself? Maybe he would find his own friends, ones that he could trust? So we tried to convince him to give it a try. At first he refused, but after thinking it through he agreed to go. Though we didn't expect he would get casted as the character he hates the most... or maybe we did, but we were sure he would refuse if something like that happened.”

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you about. What is the deal with his aversion to playing this role?" Hinata muttered a question. He suddenly felt much more tired than before. It was a lot of information to take...

"He can relate to Suzuki in too many ways,” Naegi replied. “I remember that after starting the second game he had very little against him. He began to dislike him because of the attitude of the other characters, and because of how his story ended. There’s nothing fun in watching the character you see yourself in being hated by his peers and dying a horrible, lonely death, so… He chose to hate him. I believe that’s the issue now. He perfectly knows how to play him, but he doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to be like him.”

“What the hell…” He didn’t expect it to be so deep. Everything about Komaeda seemed to have some hidden meaning he failed to understand. Thanks god someone was there to explain, seriously.

“I know all of this may be hard to accept, even though you surely care about him a lot…”

“Something seems off here,” Hinata said. “From your description he seems… like a really sad and tired person. When I first met him… he didn’t seem like that at all. Did I let him deceive me? Was it thanks to his acting skills all along…? Maybe it’s still just acting, whenever he smiles, or…”

“I believe you’re wrong, Hinata-kun,” Naegi interrupted him. “Maybe in the beginning it was like that. He was pretending, so he could avoid any problems… but it probably changed faster than he could even notice that.”

“…”

“Let me tell you something less heavy.” Naegi gave him a warm smile. “Aside from Nagito having trouble with his role, he became much happier ever since he’d met you.”

That one sentence forced Hinata to look away from all these negative thoughts.

“…really?” He asked hesitantly.

“Yeah.” The other boy nodded. “I can easily tell how excited he always is about spending time with you. He became more optimistic, and we don’t have to force him to leave his house. And he talks about you a lot, about how kind you are, and how patient you are with him…”

Now he was sure his face turned red. He could basically feel his cheeks burning. Did Komaeda really see him this way…?

“I also heard a lot about Nanami-san, Mioda-san and the others. About Kuzuryuu-kun too,” Naegi laughed slightly, probably recalling Kuzuryuu’s phone call. “He’s changed for better thanks to you, and you don’t even know how grateful me and Komaru are to you for that.”

“I haven’t really done anything…” Hinata muttered, completely embarrassed.

“You’ve done a lot without even knowing it,” he said with a smile. “Even though Nagito still has his problems, I believe he can overcome them, because now he’s not alone. He’s finally found his place, and he has friends that care about him.”

“Of course he has. He can always count on me.”

“I’m sure he appreciates it. Sometimes he just doesn’t know how he should react, so he comes off as awkward… But he’s a good person, just a little lost. He needs time to figure things out.”

“…thanks, Naegi. For telling me all of this. I think it’ll help me understand…”

The other boy waved his hand. “No need to thank me. I just thought you deserved some explanations, that’s all.”

“Thanks anyway,” Hinata said, finally smiling a little. “But… please, don’t tell him about our meeting, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already told Komaru and Kyouko to cover for me if it’s needed.”

“Smart move.”

They both laughed, and the gloomy atmosphere began to slowly fade away.

"Don't underestimate Nagito's intelligence though. He'll probably find out anyway," Naegi said. "But... would you let me ask you to do something?"

"I guess I should." Hinata shrugged. "Go ahead."

"I know it may sound unreasonable, after I just said that Nagito is strong and doesn't need protecting..." He began sheepishly. "...but please, look after him. You’re the one he trusts the most."

_And what do you think I've been doing up till now?_

"Don’t worry, I will."

"He's really important to you, isn't he?" Naegi chuckled.

"How the hell is that everyone can see it so easily?" Hinata sighed. "Do I have it written on my face or something?"

"Not exactly, but..." Naegi paused to think. "You may not be the most polite person, but in your case, actions speak louder than words... or something like that."

"Then Komaeda himself is kind of deaf," he said. "But it's fine this way for now."

They stayed there until Hinata's next train, chatting about some more trivial things and pushing the actual cause of their meeting aside. Just like he thought, Naegi was really easy to talk to - he was simpler than his cousin, but they had a lot in common. And... it was nice to talk to someone that could understand his struggles of playing the main hero. He was starting to feel a little bad about soon having to pretend that they actually don't know each other... But that was only for the time being, until they could meet officially.

"We'll somehow convince Nagito to go to the studio tomorrow, so I think you can expect him there," Naegi promised before parting ways with him. "So... see you again some time, Hinata-kun."

"Yhm. Thanks, and remember to pretend you don't know me the next time we meet."

"I'll try to."

Hinata waved at him, turning in the direction of the train station.

He really was thankful to Naegi, even though the truth was pretty harsh. Now at least he didn’t have to keep on wondering what’s behind Komaeda’s actions… But he still had no idea how to deal with it. He wasn’t any kind of psychologist, and the only friend he had up until recently was literally a ball of positive energy. Komaeda’s situation was something entirely new to him… But…

_He became much happier ever since he’d met you._

If Naegi’s words were true, then maybe… he didn’t even need to know all of this? Sure, he wanted to, he wanted to know everything about him, but if he managed to make Komaeda happier with just the way he’d been treating him all this time, then maybe he didn’t really have to change anything? Just give Komaeda time to get used to this, make him sure that it’s going to stay like that, that nobody would mistreat him anymore…

Hinata just wanted him to be genuinely happy, and he was going to make it come true.

_Nagito talks about you and Nanami-san whenever we meet, so I know quite a lot about you._

_But if it’s you, then I think it’s okay. He treasures you a lot._

_He became much happier ever since he’d met you._

_And he talks about you a lot, about how kind you are, and how patient you are with him…_

_He’s changed for better thanks to you._

_You’re the one he trusts the most._

Some quiet, but nagging voice at the back of his head began to repeat Naegi’s words to him and refused to shut up. Up till now Hinata didn’t have time to think about it, too absorbed by trying to hide his true feelings from Komaeda. But today, after first confronting Kuzuryuu, then Naegi, it finally struck him.

He wished for his feeling to be mutual. It almost surprised him how much he wanted it, and…

After listening to Naegi talking about important he is to Komaeda, a strangely positive thought appeared at the corner of his mind.

What if actually these feelings were already mutual?

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am practically dying inside because of school, but since I use writing to relax, I managed to finish this chapter!   
> I actually like this one, though that conversation with Naegi was pretty hard and I ended up rewriting some parts of it at least two times... Like, I've tried writing Naegi before, but it was a fic I've dropped after less than twenty pages, and he was there only for a moment...  
> Oh well! Thanks you for reading, you're all the best!


	16. Another point of view

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote like half of this chapter today, sacrificing my nap time, and I don't even know whether it's good or not

That night Hinata couldn't sleep. Objectively speaking he didn't really achieve anything the previous day, but he felt like a lot had changed. Well, mainly concerning his own feelings, but it still counted, and refused to leave his mind.

Finally, after about an hour of rolling on his bed from one side to another, he decided to get up and at least get himself something to drink. Nothing good would come from over-thinking things, that was certain.

When he went down the stairs and was about to enter the kitchen he heard the sound of the front door opening. So she still wasn't home till now...

"Oh, Hajime! Not asleep yet?" His mother asked when she noticed him.

"Couldn't sleep..." Hinata muttered unwillingly.

"Then maybe you'll drink some tea with me?"

"At this hour...?"

"Why not?" She smiled at him. "You can't sleep anyway, right?"

"Fine..." He sighed, accepting her offer from the lack of arguments and general exhaustion.

And so, about five minutes later he was sitting with his mom by the kitchen table with a mug full of hot liquid in his hands. He felt a little awkward, but she didn't seem to notice it.

"So, is there anything that bothers you?" She asked suddenly.

"Huh? How can you tell?" He frowned.

"You're my son, Hajime. I may not be the most reliable parent, but I still love you. I can tell when something is wrong," she said, again makings him feel bad about how their relationship looked like. "You look a bit down, even though you became more cheerful since that audition. I've even began suspecting that you fell in love with someone from your new colleagues, that's why l asked Chiaki about it."

"Mom-"

"Right, right, l know, I should knock it off," she laughed. "But... maybe you have some problems in lo-"

"That's not it!" Hinata interrupted her. His mother figuring out that her son is in love with another boy wasn't really a thing he needed at the moment. As carefree as she seemed, he couldn't tell how she would react.

"Then, what is it?" She repeated the question, taking a sip from her mug, for a moment leaving him at loss for words. “I know you don’t see me as a good mother or a role model, but I’m not against you. At least consider me your friend.”

In the end he decided to speak up. "Someone... really important to me... had a pretty rough past, and now it causes him trouble... I’ve only learned the truth today, and I can’t get it out of my head…”

“His past causes him trouble now…?” She repeated, as if she was talking to herself. “Did he tell you that?”

“No, I-“ Hinata stopped in midsentence, suddenly realizing something. “No… I’ve asked someone else…”

“Why not him?”

“Because…” He paused again. “…I’ve betrayed his trust with meddling into his life, haven’t I? I really did that…”

“Maybe, or maybe not,” she said. “I can’t tell anything since I don’t know the details, but… maybe he wouldn’t hold it against you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know who’re you talking about, but since it’s a boy, let me assume it’s Nagito-kun. You called him and Chiaki the ones that are the closest to you after all. If you’re really close, then maybe he wouldn’t get mad at you. But there’s still a chance he’d feel hurt… It’s up to you what you’ll do with your knowledge. You can help him, but also hurt him. You have that kind of power right now,” his mother stated.

All this time Hinata was sure he knew Komaeda pretty well, despite not knowing many facts about his life. He could usually predict his actions to some extent, and actually… he didn’t feel like it had changed now. So… He knew that if he asked Komaeda, and he really did tell him about the things Naegi did, it wouldn’t hold the same meaning.

Because it was Komaeda. A person who tried to laugh off anything that worried him. Who tried to euphemize any bad thing so he wouldn’t become a bother. If Komaeda were the person to tell him about himself, he wouldn’t put it the same way. He would skip a lot of things and probably say it with a smile, to show that it’s not actually that important.

Hinata didn’t want that.

“Hajime.” His mother’s voice brought him back to reality. “I don’t know what kind of past he had, but sometimes kindness and patience are enough to grant miracles. Remember that.”

“…maybe you’re right,” he muttered. “I hope you’re right.”

***

“Do you think Nagito-chan will appear today?” Mioda asked Hinata and Nanami on their way to the building. “Ibuki tried messaging him yesterday, but he didn’t reply.”

“I tried too…” Nanami muttered.

“We’ll see. Though I hope he will,” Hinata sighed, remembering Naegi’s promise. He really hoped he’d keep it. These two days made him anxious enough to need some confirmation he’s really capable of doing anything.

“You look tired, Hinata-kun,” Nanami pointed out.

“Well, my mother decided to have a tea party with me in the middle of the night.”

“What…?”

“It’s complicated,” he sighed. “She ended up teasing me again.”

“Again?” Mioda asked. “Ibuki thought you don’t talk with each other a lot.”

“It was an exceptional situation.”

“Did she ask you about who do you like again?” Hinata instantly wanted to hush Nanami, but Mioda didn’t seem to pay attention to her. She noticed someone walking ahead of them and decided to run in their direction.

“Ryota-chan!” She yelled, throwing herself at the boy’s back.

“What are you doing, Mioda?!” He shouted and tried to shake her off. It looked quite comical, so no surprise that Tsumiki, who accompanied him, began to laugh.

“Ibuki missed Ryota-chan! He rarely ever hangs out with us!”

“Duties before fun,” he said firmly. “It’s Saturday, so I have time to be here, but I have no reason to neglect school because of you.”

“Mean!” Mioda commented. “But why is Mikan-chan with Ryota-chan?”

“We’ve r-ran into each other on our way here,” she said with a smile. “So we decided to go together and started chatting about the past week…”

“It’s the only way leading here. It’s not like I really had a choice,” he replied, momentarily causing the girl to make a panicked face, but then added “But I don’t have anything against your company.”

“Someone should call Teruteru-chan, then we’ll all be together again!” Mioda exclaimed. She already forgot that she left Hinata and Nanami behind… The boy only sighed, as they followed close behind them.

When they finally reached the building and entered it, the first person they noticed was Kuzuryuu. The trio consisting of Tsumiki, Mitarai and Mioda somehow didn’t notice him, but he waved at Nanami and Hinata as soon as he saw them. Hinata immediately knew what he wanted.

“So, did you learn anything yesterday?” He asked without even saying hello. Direct as ever.

“Right, I also wanted to ask about it…” Nanami added.

For a moment Hinata stayed silent, thinking of what he should tell them.

“I’ve learned a lot… but nothing I can tell you,” he replied in the end. “I’ve already invaded his privacy, I have no right to do it further, sorry.”

“Man, you don’t have to feel sorry,” Kuzuryuu said. “Whatever Naegi told you, I think it’s great you want to keep it a secret for Komaeda’s sake. I just wanted to confirm that there’s any progress.”

“There probably is…” He muttered.

“Is it that serious?” Nanami asked, her brows knitted in worry.

“It’s something Komaeda would simply laugh off while we listened in horror.”

“But you’re not going to give up, right?” Kuzuryuu suddenly took on a serious face.

“Of course I’m not!”

“Good.” He smiled at him unexpectedly. “I’m far from being good friends with that guy, but as long as he has you on his side, thing are going to be peaceful.”

“You seem sure of that…”

“Okay, Hinata, story time.” Kuzuryuu took a deep breath before starting to talk again. “Me and Peko had known each other for like forever, but things weren’t always like they’re now. We went to the same kindergarten, but we hadn't even talked, and it was the same for Natsumi."

"Who's Natsumi?" Nanami raised her hand.

"Natsumi's my younger twin sister," Kuzuryuu explained. "Anyway, don't interrupt me. In elementary school all three of us ended up in the same class, but we still ignored each other. That was until the school trip at the end of our first year. During our free time that fucking disaster of a sister got lost somewhere and I couldn't find her. I was beginning to panic that someone had kidnapped her, but the others didn't even care, Natsumi wasn't very popular... But one person offered to help me."

"Pekoyama-san..." Nanami muttered.

"Yeah, it was her." Kuzuryuu looked away sheepishly. "While looking for Natsumi together, I've learned that she's actually really cool, even though she didn't talk much, what made it hard to notice her. We'd found my sister thanks to her, and that somehow made me even more impressed."

"So you became friends after that?" Hinata asked.

"Hell no," Kuzuryuu said. "She continued to ignore us."

"Huh?"

"After that both me and Natsumi started trying to get to know her better, but she barely even talked to anyone, so it was fucking hard. Despite that, we kept nagging her to let us closer. It took a lot of time, and it was damn hard, since we're both not really patient people… But I was stubborn, and look where we’re now. We’ve been together ever since, and I don’t regret even a minute of that time I’ve spent trying to get through to her,” Kuzuryuu said. “So, what’s the moral of this story?”

“That you and Pekoyama should finally get together?” Hinata suggested, already bracing himself for an angry comment.

“No, you fucking moron!” Kuzuryuu yelled. “The moral is that you can’t always immediately have what you want! Sometimes you have to be damn stubborn, even when it seems that you can’t be more stubborn than the other person!”

“And you think that also applies to Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun?” Nanami asked.

“Maybe? Who knows. What I’m sure of is that Komaeda needs someone who will help him learn some basic social skills, and Hinata is doing pretty great so far.” Kuzuryuu shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, he has those moments when he acts weirder than usual, but we all know about it, and Hinata still loves him, right?”

“Well, I d-do…” He stuttered and looked away. He never expected Kuzuryuu to be the one to give him advice connected to his love life. What a weird situation.

“Then everything’s fine,” the other boy sighed. “So, are you going to tell him about it?”

“Huh?!”

“That probably means no.”

“I think that’s obvious!” Hinata replied in a loud whisper. “It’s still too early, and that would probably just stress him out more…”

“Whatever, man. I’m not going to push you into confessing, since I’m stuck at this myself,” Kuzuryuu said. “Do what you think is right.”

Thinking about Kuzuryuu being stuck for probably a long time surely didn’t help Hinata, since he could be pretty impatient himself…

“Hey, Kuzuryuu… Let’s make a bet,” he said on a whim. “Whoever confesses first wins.”

It sounded stupid, but Kuzuryuu didn’t seem like a person who’s okay with losing. Needless to say, Hinata didn’t intend on winning – he just wanted to encourage his friend somehow.

“It’s not a goddamn game, Hinata!” He snapped. “And what kind of bet is it even?! What’s the prize?!”

“You’ll have a girlfriend, what more do you need?”

“You’re talking as if it’s already decided that she’d accept me!"

“And you think it’s not?”

“Dunno, there’s always a chance!”

Nanami continued to watch them with a confused look on her face. “You both seem awfully serious about it…”

“Well, it’s a matter of a first serious love, of course we are,” Hinata stated, but the girl still didn’t look convinced. “Never experienced something like this?”

“No… or at least that’s what I think…” She shook her head. “Does game characters count?”

“You’re a weird girl, Nanami,” Kuzuryuu laughed at her.

“In what way?”

“Not a bad one.”

That’s when Hinata’s phone signalized a new message. A part of him hoped that it was Komaeda, but when he pulled out the device it turned out that it was some unknown number. He opened it anyway though.

 

_Hello, Komaru Naegi here! I have your number from big brother._

_I wanted to tell you that I’ll make sure Nagito gets to studio on time, so don’t worry!_

_Good to have you on our side!_

For a moment he wondered what that ‘good to have you on our side’ meant, but the only thing he could think of was that ‘their side’ stood for people caring about Komaeda. If he was right, then maybe meeting Naegi was the right decision…? If he was considered their ally now…

With a slight smile, he turned the screen of his phone to Nanami. “Come on. Let’s wait for him.”

The girl also smiled, nodding in agreement. “Yhm. Let’s do that.”

***

_“Hey, isn’t that Nagito Komaeda?”_

_“That boy whose parents died recently? He’s already back to school?”_

_“He doesn’t look any different. He doesn’t even look sad!”_

_“If it was me, I definitely wouldn’t return to school so soon. I would be too sad to do anything!”_

_It’s not like the boy they were talking about wasn’t sad. He was, more than they could even imagine. And he didn’t want to go to school yet, but if he refused to go, he would make his cousins worry…_

_In reality, he didn't really know what he should do. He suddenly found himself at loss, unsure of what he should behave like, what was okay to do and what wasn't. Though he was sure if he decided to focus on being miserable it wouldn't do any good. Nor to him, nor to the people he cared about._

_The others gradually began expressing aversion for him. Not that he wasn't at fault, because he probably was, but he couldn't help it. Even though acting like a victim would most likely gain him some sympathy, he didn't want pity._

_"What do you want? Money? Or just take out your aggression on someone weaker than you?" He asked once._

_"It's no fun when you don't even seem to care. Do you even have feelings?"_

_"Of course I have," he said. “Every intelligent being has feelings, I thought it’s obvious. I just don’t see a reason I should show them to you.”_

_They probably decided that he was too full of himself, since he earned a punch from them._

_“Whoever is responsible for this, you should report them,” a school nurse told him after he ended up in the infirmary with a bleeding nose._

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am,” he replied._

_“Komaeda-kun, it’s obvious that…”_

_“Oh, it’s not bleeding anymore. That means that I’m fine!” He exclaimed, forcing a smile onto his face._

_He couldn’t understand why they just don’t leave him alone. Was it really that fun to bully someone? He certainly had some people he wasn’t fond on, and maybe even some that he hated, but he would never go through an effort to make their life a living hell…_

_He let out a sigh while switching a timetable one of his bullies had in his bag for a fake one that he made himself. It wouldn’t do any good, but stripping him of the ability to get ready for tomorrow’s classes was at least some kind of revenge._

_“Do you think you’re better than us or something?”_

_“How pathetic can you get to get mad even over me getting a better grade?” He laughed innocently. “It just means I’m smarter than you.”_

_“A trash like you shouldn’t talk back…!”_

_“Maybe I’m a trash, but…” He narrowed his eyes, feeling only disgust. “You’re no better than me.”_

_“I don’t know how can you speak like that when you know no one will come to your rescue. Nobody even cares about what happens to you.”_

_“I know. But I don’t see a problem with that. I deserve it, right?”_

_“Right.”_

_Earlier he overheard those guys talking about switching someone’s chemicals for today’s chemistry classes. Sometimes he really was lucky, to hear things like this! Though he was pretty sure those things they talked about were forbidden to use at school. Whoever gets caught with it could probably get expelled…_

_That was his last attempt of getting back at them. If it fails, he gives up._

_With a satisfied smile, he switched the chemicals back, so that he was sure his bullies were going to use them instead of whoever was supposed to be the victim. Maybe it was him…_

_Whatever. If it was him, that it  wasn’t even important._

_“I’m not going to any audition,” he said. “It’s going to be just like before. I’m still the same, right?”_

_“I’m sure that it wasn’t your fault…” Makoto replied._

_“Maybe not entirely, but partially yes. I don’t feel like dealing with it once again, I got tired of that…”_

_“Just try! If it really turns out this way, you can always resign…”_

_“That would only mean I’m completely irresponsible,” he sighed._

_He really was tired of all of this, and didn’t even feel like trying again. It was all useless anyway. Some time had passed, but he was still trying to forget about how badly it fucked him up. It was impossible, of course. He knew that if he kept behaving like that, he was never going to be normal again. He had to go out, meet some new people, behave decently and don’t show how much of a weirdo he was._

_But he was scared. He was scared that it would turn out the same. That everyone would hate him again, that he would be all alone again, despite so many people around._

_He didn’t want to be alone, and he didn’t want people to hate him._

_He just wanted to be normal._

_“Look, it’s fine if you see yourself this way… I mean, it’s not, it would be freaking great if you didn’t... But what I want to say is that no matter how you look in your own eyes, it won’t change how you look in mine, and I can ensure you that you look much better. Give me a chance, goddammit.”. Hinata looked pretty annoyed while giving that little speech of his, so for a moment Komaeda was scared that he was angry at him, but… it wasn’t that._

_“If you don’t believe in yourself, then believe in me. In exchange, I’ll be the one to believe in you.”_

_He had to blink a few times to make sure someone’s really standing in front of him, that it’s real… Because to him, it felt like a miracle. Something that wasn’t supposed to happen, but happened anyway._

_That boy he met by a pure accident now was telling him the things he always wanted to hear. At that moment he really wanted to cry, but he obviously couldn’t do it. Hinata may be patient and kind, but if he suddenly started crying he would most likely scare him off, and most of all, he didn’t want that._

_He wanted to stay by his side._

“Wake up, you lazybones!” A cheerful voice exclaimed, as its owner loudly opened the door to Komaeda’s room. “You don’t have time to laze around!”

“Ugh…” He uttered, pulling the blanket over his head. In his half-asleep state he recalled that it was Saturday, and he was supposed to go to the studio, but for some reason he really didn’t want to…

“Come on, get up!” Komaru said, grabbing the blanket and trying to take it away from him. “You already skipped yesterday, you can’t do this again! You’re one of the main characters!”

Oh. Right. He slipped back into that defensive mode he was using in middle school, even though it was supposed to be a new start for him and he decided not to show his true nature.

That thought made him want to crawl into a hole and never get out of it again. It was to be expected that at some point it would happen and he would ruin everything… He was lucky enough that he could keep up the pretense of being normal for so long. He even got to be called someone’s friend at some point, he really achieved a lot!

That’s what he wanted to believe. He wanted to tell himself that he shouldn’t let it get to him. Nagito Komaeda wasn’t a person to feel down because of a small failure, since his daily life was full of them. It was just another one…

But he couldn’t ignore this one. He was so scared that he’s going to lose what he’d achieved so far, that the people that somehow accepted him will turn their backs on him… Especially Hinata. In the beginning he was trying not to get too attached, but Hinata was so persistent that he finally broke and let him in. If it hadn’t been for Hinata, he wouldn’t have been able to gain acceptance from the others. He owed his position in the group to him…

Once he’d learned what another person’s closeness felt like, he really didn’t want to lose it, but he didn’t know how to keep it.

His gloomy internal monologue was interrupted by Komaru, who finally managed to remove the blanket from his grip.

“I’m not letting you stay here and keep worrying over something silly!” She said firmly. “Come on, get up, take a shower and get ready.”

“I’m not going anywhere…”

“You are. Even if I’ll have to walk you to the building, you are.” Komaru didn’t give up.

Komaeda sat up on the bed and gave her a pleading look. “You know, I really did something stupid this time. I don’t think I know how to deal with it…”

“What are you so scared of?” She asked, a little gentler. “It’s not like back then. They’re all on your side, Nagito.”

“But it can change.”

“But it won’t. I won’t believe Hinata-san or Nanami-san would turn against you just like that,” Komaru said. “They’re worried sick right now.”

“How can you know this?” Komaeda frowned at that statement, and for a moment she stammered.

“Eee… You know, I may not look like this, but I’m an expert at dealing with difficult people!” She exclaimed in the end. “Look, I’m best friends with Fukawa-san, even though I had to put a lot of effort into befriending her!”

“Weren’t you supposed to go on a date with her today?”

“I-it’s not a d-date!” Komaru stuttered, her cheeks going red. “We’re just going to spend some time together, that’s all! Besides, she’ll wait! Getting you out of the house is my priority!”

“Of course,” he sighed, knowing that she would actually want it to be a date. “Not that I’m complaining, I’m grateful to you for caring about me so much, but… couldn’t you just ask Makoto to do it?”

“He wanted to, but Togami-san called him with some urgency, and you know that nobody refuses Byakuya Togami,” she said. “Well, maybe except for Celes-san and Kirigiri-san, but you understand what I mean… Wait, you changed the topic on purpose!”

“Sorry.” Despite his terrible mood, he still laughed at her.

“Anyway, I think you’re that kind of a difficult person to Hinata-san and Nanami-san,” she continued. “And since I know the best that I care for Fukawa-san even at her worst, I’m sure that it’s the same for them. From what you’ve been telling us they seem like wonderful friends.”

“Because they are…” He muttered quietly, realizing that he missed them, even though they were apart for like two days, and the reason for this was his unreasonable behavior.

“Then believe in their good will and get out of the bed!” She commanded, showing him a wide smile. “It’s going to be fine! Also, go and check your phone, I’m sure they tried to contact you more than once.”

"Oh. I completely forgot about my phone..."

"Seems like something you would do," she sighed. "They're going to be angry at you."

"I know."

"But not for misbehaving, but for ignoring them."

"Huh?"

"Just get up finally!" She threw the blanket at him and turned to the door. "Since you're a disaster in the kitchen, I'm going to make you breakfast."

"Thanks, Komaru..."

Right. He shouldn't give up so easily. Wasn't he supposed to believe in Hinata? Wasn't he supposed to trust in him and stop relying only on himself? Hinata kept saying that he wants to learn more about him, so maybe...

Komaeda wanted to tell him, but he was scared that it would change Hinata's attitude. He didn't want pity, and also didn't want to become a bother to him.

He just really, really wanted to be normal... and he doubted that he would get another chance if he failed this time.

So he kept quiet, not knowing what to expect if the first person he grew close to since a long time learned what kind of life he had lived.

Knowing that Komaru won't leave him alone, he decided to take the risk and face his friends. What's supposed to happen, will happen. Not like he had any choice now, everything was his own responsibility and he had to deal with it. He agreed to become an actor, so he had to play his role.

After finally taking a shower and dressing up, he decided to check his phone after all. If he remembered correctly, he left it in the living room… Since his room was on the first floor, he went down the stairs and found the device on the table, just like he thought. The battery was dead of course… He was so upset about this whole situation that he even forgot to charge it. With a sigh he began looking for the charger, and after couple of minutes he finally got to turn his phone on, and…

He was pretty sure he never saw this many unread messages. There were also a lot of unanswered calls, mostly from Hinata… He really was angry, wasn’t he. Komaeda was so doomed right now.

Five of the messages were from Hinata.

 

_Are you alright? Please, answer the phone._

_I know something’s wrong and I’m worried. Let me know if I can help you in any way._

_Come on, I’m beginning to get seriously worried._

_At least send me an emoticon?_

_I’m going to kick your ass for ignoring me, asshole._

Komaeda couldn’t help but laugh at the last one. Whenever Hinata was getting annoyed with low self-esteem he would always become somehow rude, but without any ill intentions behind it.

He also had two messages from Mioda. The first one turned to be a photo of Hinata and Nanami, most likely took by surprise, sitting by the restaurant table with gloomy expressions. The caption under it said ‘ _missing their bae’_.

The second one was also a photo, this time extremely blurry, but Komaeda could recognize Hinata and Mioda’s multi-colored hair anyway. The caption was ‘ _now he’s chasing after Ibuki, she thinks she needs help. come back soon, Nagito-chan!_ ’.

It seemed so like them that Komaeda let out a quiet chuckle again.

There was also one message from Nanami. Only one, and it turned out to be a link, without any kind of caption. He hesitantly clicked on it to see that it was some video with cats. She probably intended to cheer him up with that… and she actually succeeded. It was adorable in its own way.

Another one was from Yukizome, who was telling him not to worry too much, to take care of himself and generally words of encouragement. It was easy to notice how much she cared about all of them… Even about someone as worthless as him. Komaeda didn’t want to disappoint her. She was much more than just their supervisor, and everyone loved her so much… It was like that for him too…

The last one was the biggest surprise for him.

 

_Souda’s here. Mioda’s worried about you, so stop moping and come to the studio tomorrow_

Souda certainly wasn’t a bad person, though Komaeda couldn’t say that they’re getting along. He himself wasn’t too fond on the other boy, and it was obvious that he didn’t like him…

Though it seemed almost like a declaration that he’s able to tolerate him. He definitely wasn’t doing it for him… but it was good enough.

“You seem to be in better mood now,” Komaru said, sticking her head out of the kitchen. “Is it because of your friends?”

“Yeah.” Komaeda smiled at her. “It seems… that I over reacted a bit…”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she replied. “Now hurry, we don’t have much time.”

***

“Are you really going to walk me all the way to the building?”

“Yhm!” Komaru nodded enthusiastically while walking beside him. “I’m making sure you’re not going to turn back and go home.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Komaru. I’m almost an adult…” Komaeda laughed half-heartedly.

“Look who’s saying, the guy that wears Monomi hair clips at home, when no one sees.”

“Ugh…”

“Just kidding!” She laughed. “I know big brother’s friends, but I’ve never met yours! I want to at least say hello to Hinata-san and Nanami-san. Is it okay?”

“I think it is… Just don’t tell them anything weird.”

“You mean I shouldn’t mention those Monomi hair clips?”

“Definitely.”

The closer they were getting to the studio, the more he wanted to go back. He couldn’t even say why, this fear was completely irrational. They wanted him to come back. They weren’t mad at him, at least some of them… And yet he still felt unnecessary. One way or another, they would be fine without him, right?

The need to go back reached its peak when they finally saw their destination and he could notice two people standing outside. Hinata and Nanami were getting along really well even without him around, weren’t they? They surely didn’t need someone like…

“Komaeda-kun!” Nanami called out to him when she saw him, and without hesitation ran up to him, forcing Hinata to follow her. She gave him a warm smile, stopping right in front of them . “I’m glad you came today!”

“Well, I was a little worried, since Hinata-kun said that he’ll kick my ass…” He tried to act as if nothing happened.

“You’d deserve it. How many times I called you?” Hinata looked away. It was a sign that he was annoyed.

“Thirteen…”

“Now tell me you don’t deserve a kick on the ass.”

“I probably do…” Komaeda said sheepishly. To his surprise, Hinata smiled at him slightly.

“I guess I’ll let it slide this time,” he sighed. “But ignore me once again and I’m not going to be so forgiving.”

Komaeda usually could lie even to himself, but this time he failed miserably. It was exactly what he wanted to hear, again. Hinata never ceased to amaze him with saying things what were leaving him with that weird, warm feeling.

“And this is…?” Nanami gave Komaru a curious look.

“Hello!” She bowed to the pink-haired girl. “I’m Komaru Naegi, Nagito’s cousin! Thanks for always looking after him!”

“Ah, so you’re Naegi’s little sister,” Hinata said. “The one that bought Komaeda a Monomi t-shirt.”

“Yeah, it’s me!” Komaru exclaimed, audibly proud of herself. “It’s nice to meet you, Nanami-san, Hinata-san!”

“Same to you…” Nanami muttered. Before anyone could say anything else, they heard another voice… or maybe voices.

“Nagito-chan!”

“Big bro Komaeda!”

“K-Komaeda-san!”

And Mioda, Saionji and Tsumiki busted through the door. The first girl immediately threw herself at Komaeda’s neck and hugged him tightly, much to his shock.

“Nagito-chan’s back!”

“How dare you to make me worry about the likes of you!”

“Don’t scare Komaeda-san l-like that…”

Komaru looked at them, then at Hinata. “Seems like he has more friends than I’ve thought.”

“Mioda’s everyone’s friend.” He shrugged.

“Oh, good morning, Komaru-san.” This time Sonia appeared in the doorway. “It is nice to see you again.”

Komaeda, still being squeezed by Mioda and trying to comprehend it somehow, barely understood that.  “…have you met Komaru before, Sonia-san?”

“It’s a secret!” The younger girl laughed.

“This is Komaru-chan? How cute!” Mioda instantly let him go and switched her interest to her. “Komaru-chan is still in middle school, right?”

“Yhm, I’m on my third year,” she answered.

“Same as me!” Saionji yelled. “Come with us and watch us practice!”

“I would love to, but someone’s waiting for me… Right, I have to go back! Fukawa-san is going to be angry!” She remembered suddenly. “I’ll come again some time, I have to go now!” Komaru turned back, and waved at them on the run. “Behave yourself, Nagito!”

“So she just brought you here so you wouldn’t run away,” Saionji snickered. “Coward.”

Komaeda gave the girls and Hinata a hesitant look. He knew that he would have to repeat it in front of the rest one more time, but…

“…I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I really am…”

“Well, not that I care,” Saionji stated. “Just forget it.”

“R-right!” Tsumiki nodded. “It’s okay!”

“Now, let’s go and stop lazing around!” Mioda pointed her finger at the door. “Akane-chan said she’s going to message Teruteru-chan, so we’re going to be in full squad!”

“Yaaay, food!” Saionji cheered and ran after Mioda, who already went inside.

“It’s getting chaotic again…” Nanami yawned, then followed them with Tsumiki and Sonia.

Only Komaeda and Hinata stayed behind. He was thankful for it, as he felt that one ‘sorry’ didn’t solve a thing.

“Hinata-kun…”

“Are you okay? The other asked before he could say anything.

“Huh?”

“It’s still bothering you, right?” Hinata continued. “You don’t have to feel guilty though. It’s really fine.”

He turned to follow the girls inside too, but before he could do it Komaeda tugged at his sleeve.

He didn’t even know why he did that. Maybe he wished for something more, some words of comfort… Because to him, Hinata meant kindness and acceptance. He couldn’t be called the nicest person in the group, but being nice didn’t always mean being kind, what he definitely was. If he wasn’t, Komaeda would’ve never gotten this far.

He wished he could hug him or something like that, but that would be awkward, he wasn’t quite there yet. Though Hinata always seemed to some extent know what he wanted, as he extended his hand to gently stroke his hair.

“It’s fine,” he said quietly, and the look on his face made Komaeda’s heart flutter. “Nothing to make a big deal out of.”

When someone touched him, his first instinct was usually to flinch away. It was different with Hinata.

To him, Hinata meant warmth and security.

“Nothing to make a big deal out of,” he repeated, finally dispelling Komaeda’s doubts.

He was aware that this way of thinking was wishing for far too much, but…

With Hinata, he felt wanted. He felt almost…

No, that was definitely assuming far too much.

***

When Yukizome saw him and Hinata enter the room, she was most likely more relieved than she wanted to show them. When he apologized for troubling them, she actually looked as if she was about to cry. She probably felt terrible with the thought that something so stupid could ruin the bonds between the group, when she was always doing everything to keep them together…

Komaeda tried his best not to do anything that seemed even remotely off, and to everyone’s relief the rehearsal progressed quite smoothly.

“I hope you all had fun today,” she concluded their day with a smile.

“Hanamura’s cookies are the best,” Owari said, stuffing some leftover cookie into her mouth. “Good to know someone like you.”

“Ohoho, glad to hear that!” The boy replied. He kept coming there quite often, always bringing them something to eat. Though it was mostly Owari who was taking care of that food…

“There she goes, always talking about food,” Koizumi sighed.

“That’s a part of her charm!” Yukizome stated. “Okay, kids, see you all tomorrow!”

Komaeda tried to sneak out of the room unnoticed so he wouldn’t get a lecture, but nothing could escape Yukizome’s eye.

“ Komaeda-kun, don’t push yourself too hard,” she said warmly, making him stop on his way.

“Yes…”

“And if there’s something that bothers you, don’t hesitate to rely on me!” She added, and suddenly he felt his eyes stinging. “I’m always at your service!”

“Yes, mom,” he replied, and realized what he’d said a moment too late. Everyone could already hear, and the silence told him that they really did.

He hesitantly glanced behind to see amused faces of his friends, and… Yukizome, who looked so utterly touched that she was on the verge of tears. She walked up to him and pulled him into a tight hug, forcing to rest his cheek on her shoulder.

“Yukizome-san…?” He muttered awkwardly.

“You can’t just… say something like this… and expect me to do nothing!”

“Chisa-chan, are you crying!?” Mioda yelled somewhere in the background.

“I didn’t expect Komaeda-kun to be the first one to call Yukizome-san ‘mom’…” Nanami stated, and Hinata spoke up after that.

“Wasn’t it only a matter of time before someone finally did that?”

“Probably…”

He couldn’t even deny that, and couldn’t regret that he did it. Her embrace really did feel nice, though it was so different from Hinata’s touch... He missed that kind of warmth.

“Hey, does that mean that we’re all siblings?!” Mioda asked.

“Hell no, I don’t want Souda to be my brother,” Kuzuryuu said.

“Why me!?”

“You were the first one I could think of.”

“It would also be weird if Tanaka-san and me were siblings…” Sonia added.

“You’ve got a point here,” Mioda admitted.

Suddenly, all his fears seemed insignificant. They would come back eventually, but it felt great to be free from them once in a while.

***

To Chisa Yukizome, this was also an eventful day.

When later she was watching everyone leave, she couldn’t help but feel grateful for choosing this career.

She could see Sonia and Tanaka leaving together, then Mioda running after Souda while yelling at him to wait. Next it was Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama, then Nidai, Owari and Hanamura, and Koizumi and Saionji, who took Nanami with them, while Tsumiki and Mitarai walked a little behind. She also managed to catch a glimpse of Hinata asking Komaeda if he could walk him home today, and the other boy agreed, blushing at the offer.

“Must be nice to be young,” she sighed, checking her phone. She wasn’t surprised to see a message from Kyousuke, asking her whether she needed a lift home. Chisa didn’t even reply, just directed her steps toward the exit.

“Good evening,” she said to the silver-haired man waiting by his car. “Huh? Juuzo isn’t here today?”

“Good evening,” he greeted her the same way, smiling slightly. “He still had something to do, so he decided to go back on his own.”

 _Or maybe he didn’t want to see me and Kyousuke together_ , she thought. _Coward. Not that I’m any better though._

“You seem to be in a good mood. Did anything happen?”

She let out a quiet laugh. “It’s probably not something I should be happy about, but… Remember that kid I’ve been telling you about, Komaeda-kun?”

“I do.” He nodded. Somehow he always remembered the things she’d told him, and she was often talking with him or Juuzo about any problems she’d encountered…

“He called me mom by accident,” Chisa said quietly. “Am I a bad person, to be happy about it, even though I know about his parents?"

“I think that just shows how much you care about him,” Kyousuke stated.

_Juuzo would probably say something like ‘dunno, I don’t know those kids’._

Oh well. She believed that everything would turn out well in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do I even write from Komaeda's perspective
> 
> Also, can I just say that I hate November? I barely have time for anything, but I really wanted to finish this chapter today, since there probably isn't going to be a new one next week, as it's going to be even worse for me (mock exams and stuff), and your comments always give me some motivation to survive. I love you all, guys!


	17. The adventures of the awkward duo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in the mood for writing some pure friendship fluff so expect lots of platonic KomaNami

Lately Komaeda didn’t really like staying at home. He was fine with it before… Actually, he didn’t even like leaving it, but for some reason it changed. It felt even bigger and emptier than usual, so even going for a simple walk seemed to be a better idea than staying there.

They were supposed to be free on Monday, since Tsumiki and Koizumi had some supplementary classes they couldn’t skip and Yukizome decided to let all of them rest a little. Not that Komaeda needed that, he had a lot of free time when the others were at school. Technically he was also studying, in addition on his own, but he was quite a fast learner and most of the material didn’t cause him any problems… So he was still ending up with too much free time.

It was the same this time. It felt lonely not to go to the studio at the usual time, and that feeling didn’t want to go away. For a moment he even considered calling Hinata or Nanami, but then he remembered he was supposed to be helping Mioda with studying today, since she was always a worse student than him, and Nanami... He didn't really feel close enough to her to bother only her. Komaeda liked her a lot, she was a nice and gentle person, someone whose presence didn't feel threatening in the slightest, but... he could never guess what she's thinking about. If he was to bother anyone, he would without hesitation choose Hinata, because it's easier to read him, and... simply because their bond felt stronger.

In the end, he decided not to bother anyone and just let them take a break from himself. They surely needed one once in a while, even if they actually liked him. Instead of that he settled for another walk. The neighborhood he lived in wasn’t too crowded for him, and the weather was nice, so he couldn’t find any reason not to go.

Though walking around without any purpose wasn’t extremely enjoyable either. It was somehow making him feel like an useless member of the society. Not that he wasn’t one, because he pretty much was…

Wait. At least he wasn’t a NEET anymore. That’s some progress.

When he was passing a playground some elementary school kids ran past him, laughing and chasing after one another.

_Must be nice, to play with your friends like this…_

That’s when he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, Komaeda-kun." He looked up to see the exact person he decided not to bother.

"Nanami-san," he said, automatically putting on a smiling face. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"...my sister asked me to do some shopping." The girl raised the hand she was holding a plastic bag with. Komaeda had rarely ever seen her wearing her casual clothes, as she was now. Usually it was a school uniform or her costume... Though he remembered that white hoodie. She was wearing it when she walked into a lamp that day they first met. "I also wanted to buy myself some sweets... and there's a shop I like around here."

"That one a street away from here?" He asked.

"Yeah, that one!" Nanami exclaimed happily. "You like it too?"

"You could say that," he laughed. Now he noticed a box of pocky sticking out of her pocket.

“We should go there together one day,” Nanami said with a smile. “And what are doing here? Did I stop you on your way?”

“I wasn’t going anywhere in particular,” he replied, careful not to say too much. “I didn’t have anything to do, so I decided to take a walk.”

“Oh…” She uttered, but continued to stare at him, as if she was still waiting for something. Komaeda had no idea what did she want, and it was starting to get awkward… “Is there anything that bothers you, Komaeda-kun?”

“Huh?”

“I’m not good at reading people…” Nanami said hesitantly. “But I thought that you look a bit down… You know, Hinata-kun once said that you always over think things when you’re left alone, so…”

It was quite surprising to him that she noticed something like this. Usually he was able to fool people rather easily, and only those close to him could tell when he was pretending. So… did that mean that…

…Nanami got so close without him even noticing that? What was he supposed to do with that fact? He still felt like there was some invisible wall between him and everyone other than Hinata, even though it was definitely thinner in Nanami’s case…

Maybe… it was finally time to try to break that wall? He wasn’t sure if that was possible, but he already decided that he’s going to try taking small steps towards changing…

“…I kind of…” Komaeda forced himself to speak up. It would be easier if the person he was talking to was Hinata. “…didn’t want to be alone, so…”

Nanami for a moment stayed silent, then pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“I still have some time until my train,” she said with a smile. “Want to wait with me?

Just like that, she said something he’d sooner expect from Hinata. But maybe… it wasn’t that unexpected. It was just him, trying to convince himself that nobody would want to be around him.

“If you don’t have anything against…” He muttered quietly.

“Then let’s sit here.” Nanami pointed at some bench near the playground. Some kids were still playing there, but most likely no one would even pay attention to two teenagers. Komaeda agreed with a nod.

But still, even though he actually wanted to keep her company, he still had no idea how to not bore her to death. What was he supposed to talk about? Should he be the one to begin the conversation? What if she wasn’t in the mood to talk about random stuff, and deemed him annoying? What if-

“Hey, Komaeda-kun,” she spoke up first, probably unaware of all his internal dilemmas. “You said that you didn’t want to be alone… Does that mean…”

“Uhm… I sort of live alone,” he replied vaguely.

“Should I ask why?”

“I would prefer if you didn’t,” Komaeda said. “Sorry if that sounded rude…”

“No, it’s fine.” Nanami shook her head. “I asked because I wanted you to answer honestly. If that’s… what you wish for… then I’m not going to force you.”

“Thanks…” Komaeda suddenly felt glad that Nanami was the one he ran into.

“No problem,” she muttered, then reached for the pocky box and opened it. “Want one, Komaeda-kun?”

“I wouldn’t dare to reject your offer.” He intended to reach into the box, but Nanami simply took one and stuck it into his mouth. Direct as ever.

Without them noticing, some of the kids from the playground approached them.

“Are you two a couple?” A little boy asked, pointing his finger at them.

“Eh?” Komaeda gave him a confused look.

“We aren’t…” Nanami looked equally confused.

“Then why are you acting like this?” This time it was a girl. They were probably elementary school students, no older than ten…

“Like what?” Nanami tilted her head to the side, still not understanding their point.

“Like you’re really close!”

“Oh,” she muttered. “We’re not a couple. We’re siblings.”

Komaeda didn’t know who was more surprised to hear that, him, or these kids… Though he decided not to question her response.

“Eh? Don’t lie, you’re not similar at all!” The little boy exclaimed.

“Have you ever played Xenoblade? Dunban and Fiora weren’t similar either,” Nanami said. “Right, Nagito?”

“Huh?” Komaeda uttered, startled by her suddenly calling him by his first name. Well, if they were playing siblings now, it would be weird to use surnames… “R-right…”

“Then who’s older?” The kids weren’t giving up.

“It’s me,” Nanami replied casually, though he could swear she was laughing on the inside. “Nagito is my little brother…”

"Boring," the girl stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"You really think so?" Nanami gave Komaeda an uncertain look. "I don't find it boring at all..."

"Eh, you're strange" the other kid sighed. "Let's leave them alone, sis."

"Okay..."

And so, they turned away from them and left, just as fast as they'd appeared.

"So they're also siblings..."

"Why 'also'? Nanami-san, do I have to remind you that I'm not actually your brother?"

"That's a shame," she sighed. "I've always wanted an younger sibling, since I only have an older sister... By the way, when's your birthday, Komaeda-kun?"

"In April..."

Nanami pointed at herself. "Mine is in March. That means I would really be the older sister..."

"I don't think it's possible for siblings to be a month apart," Komaeda laughed.

"Unless one of them was a time traveler..."

"Are you implying that you've came from the future?"

"...That would be quite cool... probably." She also let out a quiet giggle, but then looked at him suggestively. "Hey... Komaeda-kun... Call me like that once."

"Huh? Like what?"

"You know what I mean," she said, seeing through him trying to play dumb.

"No, I really don't..."

"Komaeda-kun." Nanami puffed her cheeks. "Please?"

For a moment he stared at her quietly. Fulfilling her request would be honestly embarrassing, and there really was no need to take this game that far... but at the same time it was quite entertaining and got rid of the chance of Nanami being bored in his company.

"F-fine," he muttered. "Big sister Chiaki."

Her eyed instantly lit up, as she instinctively moved closed.

"That was cute, Komaeda-kun!" She exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"It almost feels like some little brother simulator!"

"...there are games like that?"

"You'd be surprised to hear what kind of games you can find on the net."

"I think I'm better off without this knowledge..."

Nanami checked the hour on her phone.

"Soon it will be the time for me to leave..." She said, sounding as if she didn't really want to do it. "Will you be fine?"

"Of course." Komaeda gave her a cheerful smile. He actually felt a lot better now, after this silly conversation. Nanami could be ridiculous at times, but that strangeness of her was somehow comforting. "I'll have to."

Despite his words, Nanami didn't move from her place and continued to think about something.

“I think…  I could stay with you, if you wanted,” she muttered.

Komaeda frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You said you don’t want to be alone.” The girl now looked directly at him. “So… let me stay at your place… and have a sleepover.”

“Huh!?”

“I know how it feels to come back to an empty house… and I’ve never liked it,” Nanami continued. “So I don’t like the idea of Komaeda-kun having to do that either… Of course I don’t want to cause you any trouble, so just say ‘no’ if you find it a bad idea…”

“I don’t”,” he replied involuntarily. “I-I mean… It’s a wonderful idea… but you don’t have to go out of your way to stay with someone as boring as me…”

“It’s fine. I’m boring too.” She gave him a smile. “Also, tomorrow we are supposed to go to the studio in the morning, so if I stay at your place I’ll be able to sleep longer. It’s a win-win situation, so… Are we doing this?”

Nanami’s offer took him by a complete surprise. The only people who even stayed the night at his house were Makoto and Komaru, so saying ‘yes’ wasn’t exactly easy. Letting her into his house actually meant letting a stranger into his personal space, so a big part of him really wanted to say ‘sorry, but no’. On the other hand…  wouldn’t it be a big step towards finally breaking the wall between them?

What would Hinata say about it? Would he encourage him to agree, or tell him to take it slow?

Probably the first one. He’d been doing a lot to not let him alienate himself, and Nanami was also a close friend, so…

_Take a risk for once. There’s nothing to be afraid of._

“I think… we can try,” he muttered hesitantly.

“Great,” she said, already getting up from her place. “Give me one hour. I’ll go back home, give Usami her shopping, take some of my things and come back. Also… should we invite Hinata-kun?”

“I believe he’s helping Mioda-san studying today…”

“Oh. So maybe next time.” She shrugged. “Okay… Then see you in an hour, Komaeda-kun.”

“Yhm, see you…”

Nanami picked up her bag, then began running in the direction of the train station. He called it running, but she was still pretty slow… Though she was probably aware of that.

For a moment he watched her leave, wondering what the hell did he agree on. He still wasn’t sure whether this was a good decision… But he was somehow looking forward to this.

***

Chiaki Nanami had always been a person who does things at her own pace. She was slower than most people, and sometimes it could cause her problems. There were times when others were visibly annoyed by this.

But not Hinata and Komaeda. They never even made a comment about it, let alone seemed irritated with her slowness. And that made her appreciate them even more.

That’s why she wanted them to know how much she cared about them. Especially Komaeda seemed to need it, so she didn’t hesitate with offering to stay with him. He would most likely prefer it to be Hinata, but she hoped she’d be enough.

Barely able to catch her breath, she stormed into her house.

“I’m… home…” she managed to say, putting the bag on the kitchen table. Luckily, it caught her sister’s attention.

“Oh, Chiaki,” she spoke up. “Did you run all the way here?”

Nanami nodded. “I have to hurry… Ehm… I’m going to spend the night at my friend’s place… Sorry for telling you so suddenly…”

“Your friend’s?” Usami frowned. “Which one? Mioda-san? Or maybe Tsumiki-san?”

“It’s Komaeda-kun,” she stated bluntly.

“A boy?!”

“And what about that?” Nanami asked. “He’s my friend, and he needs me right now. I want to support him…”

“But…” Her sister didn’t look convinced. At first she didn’t understand why, but then it dawned on her.

“Oh,” she uttered. “You don’t need to worry about anything… I’m pretty sure he’s in love with someone else… and I don’t see him this way either.”

“Then why are you so set on this?”

“Because he’s my friend,” Nanami repeated with just as much confidence as before. “And you know well… that I’m not good at making friends. That’s why I want to cherish these few I managed to find…” She said honestly, hoping Usami would understand. “Komaeda-kun is a sad person. He often looks so sad that it hurts to see, even though he tries to hide it. I don’t want it, so… Please, let me go.”

For a moment there was no reply, so she was beginning to worry she wasn’t going to be allowed to go back. She forgot to think about her sister’s opinion when promising Komaeda to stay with him…

But then the reply came.

“…I think you’re responsible enough to let you go this time,” her sister said hesitantly. “I trust you. If you believe that your friend needs you, then do what you think is right.”

Nanami gave her the brightest smile she could manage. “Thank you.”

She immediately ran to her room and grabbed her school bag in order to put some things inside. A change of clothes, a toothbrush… This time packing was easier than before spending the night at the studio. She remembered having no idea what she should take with her, since she never had friends that would invite her to stay over at their place.

She hesitated a little before throwing some games inside – she didn’t know whether Komaeda had any consoled at his house… But in the end she decided that it wouldn’t hurt to take them. She also threw in some snacks, as she recalled that both of them were terrible at cooking and starving to death didn’t seem like fun.

Finally, she picked the bag up and stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath and preparing herself to run again. Maybe she really should take up some sport, because all that running was slowly getting exhausting…

Some months ago a thought like that would’ve never crossed her mind. She was a loner to whom games were all she had. And it wasn’t that he wanted that kind of life – she just didn’t know how to change it.

Right now Nanami had everything she wished for. She had friends she could play with. She had a player two, or maybe even three.

She got what she wanted, so it was time for her to give something in return.

***

_Time flows unexpectedly slow when you’re waiting for something,_ Komaeda thought. To him, that one hour actually seemed like at least three hours… Though to Nanami it was probably a different thing, since she was the one who had to go all the way back home and come back once again. He was also considering the option that she simply came to a conclusion that he’s not worth her time after all and decided to stay at home… Yeah, it seemed like a possible thing. Why would she even bother…

“I’m back!” A quiet voice announced, interrupting his depressing thoughts.

She came back. She actually came back, this time holding her school bag and barely even standing while trying to catch a breath. She was most likely running the whole time again…

“Give me a moment, please…” She muttered, sitting down on the same bench as him, still breathing unevenly. “This is what… I get… for avoiding P.E. classes… the whole middle school…”

“Don’t worry, it was the same for me,” he laughed. “I could never understand why someone would enjoy them…”

“Right?” Nanami nodded knowingly. “Okay, I think I’m good. Show me the way, Komaeda-kun.”

So it begins. Hinata once walked him home, so he knew where Komaeda lived, but Nanami had no idea up till now. If he kept showing it to all of his new friends, then he could say goodbye to any chance of using his house as a hideout in case he messed up again, but…

Oh well. As long as Komaru and Makoto were set on making him leave anyway, it wouldn’t be of any use, so he just took the shortest path to lead Nanami there.

“Wait… You don’t want to tell me that you live here, right?” She asked when they’d reached their destination.

“Ehm… I do?”

“This house is so huge!” The girl exclaimed, her eyes widening. “It looks almost like a mansion! How many rooms are there? How many bathrooms?!”

“I’ve never bothered to count the rooms, but there’s a lot…” He replied, laughing awkwardly. “But having a large house when you live alone is not all that great. I like cleaning, but it takes so much time…”

After he let Nanami inside, she took her shoes off with a surprising to her speed and quickly ran into the hall, looking around.

“So cool…” She sighed, her eyes almost sparkling. “It looks like that haunted mansion from one of the pixel games I’ve played once…”

“I would be glad if you didn’t compare my house to a haunted mansion,” he said. “I have to live here, and I already have trouble sleeping much too often…”

Nanami gave him a worried look. “Why?”

“Ehm…” Deciding whether he should tell her the truth or not was another problem he’d encountered today, and there were probably going to be even more of them. “I…”

“No need to force yourself if you don’t want to tell me.” She gave him a warm smile. “I just hope that today won’t be one of those days…”

_Maybe it won’t be,_ he thought. As long as he had someone he trusted by his side, the nightmares usually stayed away. That’s why he was falling asleep on Hinata’s shoulder so often…

“Do you want me to show you around the house?” Komaeda asked the girl, who was still looking around with curiosity written on her face. Thanks god he’d tidied up his room earlier that day…

“Of course I want!” She exclaimed happily, just as he’d expected. Maybe he was becoming better at reading her. For a second he thought that Nanami wasn’t a complicated person after all – it was just him being too used to looking for a hidden meaning.

***

"...and this is my room," he said, letting Nanami into the last room he intended to show her. A big part of him was still reluctant to doing so, but it was too late to hesitate now. It's not like he had anything to hide. He just wanted to run away, like always.

"Woah..." Nanami sighed, entering the room. "It's so huge... Much bigger than my own room..."

"Though most of time it's not really this clean," Komaeda stated. "I tend to leave books everywhere..."

"You really have a lot of them..." She approached his bookcase to look closer, then turned her face to him with an excited face. "You have the Rei light novels!"

"W-well, I have..."

"Can I borrow them some time?" She asked. "I failed to get the first volume, so..."

"Of course you can," he replied, slightly amused by her pleading expression and her pure happiness after he answered.

"Thank you, Komaeda-kun..." Then her attention moved to something else. "Oh? What is it?" She pointed at some small thing lying on his desk, and he already knew what he forgot to hide.

The Monomi hairpins. The ones Komaru was always making fun of.

"It's... ehm... they're Komaru's, not mine!" He exclaimed immediately, blurting out the first excuse he could think of.

"Eh... is that so?" Nanami raised one brow, clearly not convinced. "They're quite cute, you know."

"But..." He could feel his cheeks heating up. It was so embarrassing...

"Come on, they're just hairpins," Nanami laughed, picking them up from the desk. She came closer and slowly extended her hand to pin his bangs aside. It took him a lot of effort not to pull away, even though he didn't want to. The fingers brushing his hair aside were warm and gentle...

"Just like I thought. It really looks cute," she said. "I bet Hinata-kun would think the same."

"H-huh?" She took him by a total surprise. "Why would you bring up Hinata-kun all of sudden?"

Nanami shrugged indifferently. "I wonder why. Where did you buy these hairpins? I like them."

"Then you can take one," he said.

"Really?" Once again, she looked at him with shining eyes.

"Yeah."

"Thank you!" Nanami put one of the remaining hairpins into her hair, in the same spot she's usually wearing the one that comes with her costume. "How do I look?"

"Cute." He showed her a thumbs up.

"I bet Hinata-kun would look cute too."

"Are you on this again...?"

"Who knows. But don't you want to see that?"

"Why would I?"

"Don't ask me."'

Komaeda sighed in resignation. So it really was obvious how he felt about Hinata. He sometimes wondered just how obvious it was, but if Nanami could bring herself to make remarks like this, then it was probably really bad.

Well, he was smart enough to know that it's always the darkest under the lighthouse. While the others might've noticed it, Hinata probably haven't... At least yet. He’s safe until someone tells him.

“…we can give him one too,” he muttered, barely audible.

_Now everyone’s going to know about this lame hairpins. Goodbye, my dignity._

“Then put it into your bag, Komaeda-kun. I would forget about it, so it’s better if you take it.”

She didn’t add ‘and give it to him’, but it was obvious. He was so doomed, wasn’t he.

“Right… I wanted to ask you whether you have some game consoles…” Nanami said suddenly. He should’ve expected this.

“I have, in the living room,” he replied, giving her a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

***

Nanami liked playing games with Komaeda. Well, she liked playing with every one of her friends, but… They were all losing too easily. As for Komaeda, he never seemed to show any actual skills, but he could always put up a fight. Not only this – while playing against him, she could actually…

“…I’ve lost…” she mumbled, staring at the TV screen displaying Mario Kart. “Even though through most of the race I was in the lead, I’ve lost…”

“Sorry, Nanami-san,” the boy sitting on the floor next to her said. “I never lose when playing against Makoto.”

“It’s amazing!” She exclaimed. “Not even Chihiro can win against me… Let’s play one more time!”

“We’ve been doing it for quite a while now… Not that I’m complaining, I enjoy it too,” Komaeda said. “We can continue this, but… I think we should eat something first. And maybe get ready to sleep, it’s getting late…”

Only now had she realized she really was hungry. It was always like this, when gaming she could forget about anything and everything. “I’ve brought instant ramen with me…”

“Oh, junk food. Great.”

“I can’t cook…”

“Me neither. Instant ramen is okay,” he laughed. “Also… I think you could sleep in guest room…”

“Huh?”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s not a sleepover if we sleep in separate rooms, Komaeda-kun,” she pointed out, and he furrowed his brows at her words.

“Then what do you suggest?”

Nanami thought about it for a moment. “Do you have any futons?”

“I think there should be some,” he replied with a nod.

“Then let’s sleep here. We can build a pillow fort using the chairs…”

“Nanami-san, please, remind me how old are we?”

“…I can see that you want to do that.”

He looked away, clearly embarrassed. He really had something childish about him… “Ehm… Maybe? I don’t know… Is that a thing people do at sleepovers?”

“I don’t know,” Nanami admitted. “I’ve never really participated in any… But don’t worry, I’ve got this covered.” She clumsily moved towards the table, where she’d left her phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Googling it.”

“Are you serious?”

“Completely.” She nodded firmly. “People say that a pillow fort is on the list ‘to do’…”

“What do they also say?”

“That cooking together is a good idea…”

“We can cross this one out.”

“I agree. They also say that girls often talk about their love interests…” Nanami read out loud another think she found in google.

“I’m not a girl…”

“Does it really matter when it comes to things like this?” She asked, looking up from the screen. She actually wanted to make Komaeda talk for a bit. Having spent so much time with Hinata, and even helping him out, she perfectly knew how things looked on his side, so she was quite curious how Komaeda viewed their situation…

“Maybe it doesn’t, but its… a little embarrassing,” he confessed finally. _If it’s only embarrassment that’s stopping him from talking, then it’s not a lost case,_ Nanami thought.

“Let’s get everything in order…” She somehow managed to stand up, even though her legs felt pretty much dead after sitting for so long. “Food… getting the futons ready… taking a bath… the pillow fort… then we can chat about some silly, girly things… Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone…”

“Fine…” Komaeda sighed, yet again that day.

***

"It's done," Nanami said after putting the last pillow in the right place, so the blanket they'd put over the chairs wouldn't fall on their heads. Komaeda was already lying in his futon inside the pillow fort, to test its stability.

It was quite fun, to be honest. He didn't expect Nanami to be so easy to be around, but apparently she had no sense of embarrassment when it came to things like that.

After she was done with checking if everything was in its place she also crawled inside their fortress and lied down on her stomach, then reached for a pad, since she'd turned another console on before.

"Want to play with me once more?" She asked him, but Komaeda shook his head.

"I'm too sleepy to focus on this..."

"Well, that's okay..." Nanami replied. "One more round and I'll turn the TV off, so you can sleep..."

"Yhm, okay..."

For a moment he watched her profile as she stared at the screen, skillfully manipulating the character she was using. She didn't even look focused, as if it was natural to her.

What was surprising to him was that Nanami not even once seemed to be annoyed with him. It was still a mystery to him how was that possible, as he just couldn’t see himself as worth anyone’s time. No matter how many times Hinata told him that, he just couldn’t believe it…

"So, Komaeda-kun... How is it? Do you have someone you like?" She asked, stopping him from sliding too far into his self-loathing.

"You first," he muttered.

"I like Junpei from 999..."

"Game characters doesn't count." Komaeda let out a quiet giggle. It was just so like her...

"Then I don't have anyone like that..." She stated. "And you?"

He wasn't exactly comfortable talking about it. Most likely because he never really talked to anyone about his feelings... At least the romantic ones. It seemed... really personal, but...

He needed to leave his comfort zone in order to become someone that would be worth other people’s time.

“I do. I have someone I like…” He muttered quietly.

“Hmm,” Nanami hummed to confirm she’d heard him. “Do I know this person?”

“You don’t need to be so considerate and pretend that you don’t know,” he let out a sigh. “I’m in love with Hinata-kun.”

“You’re right, I already knew…” She said. “But you know… That’s only because it’s really heartwarming to watch you two…”

“…huh? What do you mean?”

“Like… You always support each other. It’s not only Hinata-kun who helps you out… He also thinks of you as someone on whom he can count…” Nanami explained. “And I think that’s really great, though I don’t know much about being in love with someone…”

Komaeda took one of the pillows and hugged it tightly. Somehow he felt an urge to hold onto something… “You think so?”

“Yhm.” She nodded, still looking at the screen. “Say, Komaeda-kun. How would you feel if Hinata-kun returned your feelings?”

That was something he had a really hard time imagining when he was away from him, but actually was close to believing when they were next to each other.

What would he do if Hinata loved him back? Despite everything, it wasn’t an easy question, because then their relationship would change…

“I would probably be the happiest person in the world,” he said, burying his face in the pillow. “But I have no idea what I would do. I don’t think I can handle being in a relationship yet… I don't want to disappoint Hinata-kun with my pathetic self."

"You're not pathetic..."

"In my eyes, I am," he said, his calm voice contrasting with his words. "I don't want to rush him into being with someone who still doesn't even know how much he's really worth...”

“Well, that’s also okay, I think,” Nanami replied casually. “Take your time figuring out how to handle it. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”

“Don’t understand me wrong, but… You’re quite strange.”

“I’ve been told that a few times… What is it now?”

“Normally I would expect you to tell me to either give up, or just go and confess to him…”

“I don’t want you to make a decision you would regret later... I just want the best for you.” She finally looked away from her game and smiled at him. “Because I love both Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun as much as I love my own family.”

There was a minute of silence between them.

“Are you crying, Komeda-kun?”

“I’m not. Or at least I’m trying not to.”

“Maybe we should go to sleep…” She concluded his reaction and crawled out of her futon to turn the TV and the console off.  “Sorry if I upset you…”

“It’s fine,” he nearly whispered. “And… thank you for today. Really, really thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything special. Goodnight…”

“Goodnight…”

Komaeda wasn’t sure if she even heard him, because the moment she lied down again she was already asleep. It was amazing how she could stay awake for so long while gaming, but fall asleep as soon as she was done.

He reached for his phone and without thinking much he typed a short message to Hinata.

 

_Nanami-san is a really amazing person, isn’t she?_

He had no idea why he did it, but… Now he could admit that in the beginning he actually was a little jealous of Nanami. He was worried that she would take Hinata away from him, so he would be left alone again. It wasn’t so hard to imagine – she was pretty, adorable, and a bit clumsy, but that was only adding to her charm. He couldn’t even see himself as her rival, since there was literally nothing attractive about him…

Knowing that she actually seemed to support him calmed him down somehow, and the invisible wall got even thinner.

After a moment he got an answer, which made him laugh at his own silliness.

 

_Why the hell are you texting me about Nanami in the middle of the night?_

_Go to sleep. Goodnight_

***

"You're both early today," Yukizome said when they ran into her in the building's main hall. "Good morning, Nanami-san. Hello, son."

"Please, forgive me that, Yukizome-san." Despite Komaeda's plea, the woman insisted on not letting him forget his mistake and kept calling him that way, making him embarrassed every single time.

"There's nothing to be forgiven, son," she replied. "Cute hairpin, Nanami-san."

“Komaeda-kun has a similar one.”

“Is that so?” She gave him an amused look. “Then why not wear it too?”

“Right? Do it, Komaeda-kun…”

Not even objecting to it, he pulled it out of his pocket and put into his hair. It’s not like he had a good reputation to begin with. A hairpin can’t ruin it any more.

“Are you happy now?” He sighed.

“Very happy.”

“We also have one for Hinata-kun,” Nanami commented cheerfully. “We’re going to match…”

“What do you have for me?”

They all looked towards the door to see Hinata and Mioda following him.

“Chiaki-chan! Why did you abandon us today?!”

“Yeah, and why are you and Komaeda together?”

“Nanami-san… kind of stayed at my place yesterday, so…” he explained hesitantly.

“Wha…” Hinata began, then shook his head. “So that’s why you sent me that message. I feel so left out now. How could you not invite me?”

“Jealous?” Nanami asked, tilting her head to the side. “Sorry, Hinata-kun... First I make fun of you with your mom, now I steal Komaeda-kun from you…”

“Are you provoking me?”

“Maybe?”

“That aside, what’s with those cute things in your hair?” Mioda pointed at the hairpins. “What does that mean? Are you really leaving Hajime-chan out!?”

“No, we’re not.” Komaeda reached into his bag and pulled out the one Nanami made him put there yesterday. He reached out to pin it into the surprised boy’s hair, feeling some weird satisfaction from the fact that now he’s not the only guy wearing it. “Here, now we all have one.”

And of course, Mioda managed to take a photo.

“If someone’s wondering why I have so much patience, look at her. She’s the reason,” Hinata sighed, glaring at Mioda, who was giggling happily at the screen of her phone. "Where did you even get these things...? Wait, don't tell me you expect me to wear it all the time?!"

"Do it, Hajime-chan!"

"Good morning, mortals."

"Oh, if that isn't Hinata-san. You look surprisingly charming today," Sonia said, as she entered the building with Tanaka.

"Please, not you too-"

"Ekhem." Tanaka reminded her of his presence.

Sonia laughed melodically and stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Do not worry, you are the most charming to me."

Komaeda wondered if it’s ever going to look similar for him. He gave Hinata a shy glance, only to notice that he was also looking at him…

There it was. That feeling telling him that he’s actually really close to getting what he wanted…

“Hinata-kun, if it helps you, I can guarantee you that you’re not going to be the center od attention for long,” Yukizome said. “Today you’re going to meet the girls playing in the twilight syndrome, so they’re probably going to steal your spotlight.”

“Thanks god,” he muttered, subconsciously touching the hairpin, which he, despite all, didn’t take off. Komaeda was kind of grateful to Nanami for making him give it to Hinata. She was right.

He really looked cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nanami is the one that knows evrything but she's still like 'what do I do now???' 
> 
> Man, first the exams, then I got sick... Lately I've been feeling brain-dead surprisingly often, so I just couldn't bring myself to write anything more serious than a chapter about these two dorks. I hope you forgive me for that.
> 
> While we're still at these silly hairpins, please, look at this super cute drawing!! (https://twitter.com/ChromeXVII/status/802632084242186241) I'm really excited that someone decided to draw something for this fic and I love it a lot!


	18. Another problem?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've even rewatched zetsuhen episode 3 and the twilight syndrome in the game to write this but I still feel that I know next to nothing about Natsumi and Sato's personalities  
> Also, what the hell is Sato's full name

“Hello, I’m Natsumi Kuzuryuu. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu’s little sister,” a long-haired, blonde girl exclaimed, standing next to her brother and Pekoyama.

Hinata immediately noted that she was quite similar to the other Kuzuryuu he’d known. Their hair was the same color, and they both had freckles… But it was easy to notice that she was taller than him. So nature is unfair even to twins.

“Ibuki knew something was up! Peko-chan has been acting off recently!” Mioda yelled.

“Well, Kuzuryuu also looked as if he was bothered by something…” Hinata said. “So that’s what was behind it…”

“And this is Kuzuryuu-san’s little sister…” Sonia spoke up, scanning the girl carefully. “Nice to meet you… ehm…”

“What is it?” The girl asked.

“It seems a bit awkward to also call you Kuzuryuu-san,” Sonia explained.

“My Lady is right. We need to differentiate one Kuzuryuu from another,” Tanaka supported her claim.

The younger from the twins just laughed. “I don’t see any problems. Just call me Natsumi, I’m fine with that.”

“Okay, Natsumi-chan!” Mioda exclaimed.

“You wouldn’t even think of calling her any other way,” Hinata muttered under his breath, but nobody paid attention to him. Maybe except for Komaeda, who gave him a sympathetic look.

“I presume you are going to play Shiina’s little sister, am I correct?” Tanaka asked Natsumi.

“Yeah, you are,” she replied. “Though when I went to the audition behind my brother’s back I was actually aiming for some bigger role… Guess I wasn’t good enough.” The girl shrugged her shoulders, though she actually looked a little disappointed.

“Don’t say it like that, Natsumi,” Pekoyama said reassuringly, but she looked unmoved.

“That’s the truth. Well, I still get to play with you for a bit, so I don’t care.”

"I sure hope so you're not going to cause any problems," Kuzuryuu said. He didn't look overjoyed that his sister had joined the cast.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about anything, big brother."

"It's easy for you to say," he muttered, earning an awkward chuckle from Pekoyama. It seemed that both of them knew what she's capable of...

“So if Natsumi-san is going to play Shiina’s little sister, then you…” Nanami turned to another girl they’d only just met. “…you must be Misaki’s actress.”

“You’re exactly right…”

“My name is Nanami…”

“You’re exactly right, Nanami-san,” the girl said. She in turn had dark, wavy hair and looked somehow more serious than Natsumi. Maybe because Hinata instinctively began picturing Natsumi as similar to her brother – a person who had a pretty bad attitude, but who’s not really that terrible of a person. “My name is Misato Sato.”

“That’s like, a double Sato…” Mioda commented. Like always, she just couldn’t hold her tongue back.

“It can go as my surname as well as a short for my first name,” the girl replied, not expressing any annoyance towards Mioda. “You can just call me Sato.”

“So you’re going to be Sato-chan!”

“I guess it’s fine…” She laughed half-heartedly. "I feel honored that I can join you, even though it's only for a short time."

At the moment it was only about half of them present, and they were still missing some of today's most important members of their group, aka Koizumi, Saionji and Tsumiki. For now Hinata thought that both of their new colleagues seemed fine, but it wasn't him who would have to work with them. Natsumi's role was pretty short, limited to only that confrontation with Misaki, but Sato was one of the main characters of the twilight syndrome… Hinata just hoped they would get along. Both Natsumi and Sato were probably nervous about their first roles…

“Okay, since the other three still aren’t here… Mioda-san, Natsumi-san, Sato-san,” Yukizome turned to the girls. “I think you can change your clothes. I hope the two of you don’t mind sharing the dressing room.”

“I don’t have anything against…” Sato said.

“Tch, I would prefer to be with Peko…” Natsumi muttered.

“Sorry, I already have a pair,” the gray-haired girl explained.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I guess I don’t have any choice.”

Komaeda laughed quietly next to Hinata. “There’s really something similar to Kuzuryuu-kun about her…”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I’m going with Mioda-san to let her brag about her uniform for a bit…” Nanami said and followed her out of the room.

***

“Hey, Yukizome-san, why are Sato’s and Natsumi’s uniforms black?” Owari, who managed to get to the studio in the meantime, asked. She poked at Natsumi’s black skirt. It seemed that nobody really treated her as a stranger, since she was Kuzuryuu’s twin… Souda even commented that she’s prettier than he’d expected. It was noticeable that they looked at Sato differently.

“Right, weren’t Hope’s Peak uniforms brown?” Nidai added, glancing at the girls. “Let’s count Inami out, her clothes are always… extraordinary.”

 “It’s a confidential info,” Yukizome replied, checking if everything was alright with the costumes. “I was told not to reveal it, but still make their uniforms black.”

“You were told…? By whom?” Kuzuryuu raised one brow. “If there’s someone who could command you something like this, then it’s…”

“Kodaka-chan,” Mioda said in a grave voice, actually managing to make Hinata laugh with that.

“Well, maybe not personally, but it was an advice I got from someone working on the games,” Yukizome stated. “I was a bit surprised, since on those photos in the game everyone had brown uniforms, but I wasn’t going to argue.”

“But it’s interesting,” Komaeda spoke up, looking at Natsumi and Sato. “There’s one more character that wears a black uniform, despite theoretically being a Hope’s Peak student.”

Yukizome gave him a warning look. “Komaeda-kun, no-“

“Just who could it be, and why Natsumi-san and Sato-san also have different uniforms, I wonder…” He continued.

“Komaeda-kun, don’t give them any more hints or I’m going to get angry,” the director interrupted him, this time more firmly. Meanwhile Hinata began connecting the dots.

“Oh,” he uttered finally. “Are you suggesting that…”

“Well, that’s definitely a possibility, isn’t it?”

"What are you guys talking about?" Natsumi frowned. "I want to know too!"

"It's just a theory, nothing worth sharing," Komaeda said.

"People on the internet share theories all the time..." Nanami pointed out.

"Enough, Komaeda-kun, Hinata-kun," Yukizome commanded with that smile that always appeared on her face when they were taking things too far. "I appreciate your intelligence, but don't tell them anything."

"We'll tell you later," Hinata whispered to Nanami, who gave him a nod.

"If you shared that on the net before the show even aired I could get into some trouble..." Yukizome sighed.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't do that," Komaeda assured her.

"Sorry for taking so long!" Koizumi's voice interrupted their discussion.”Mikan-chan tripped on our way here because of her shoelaces…”

“That was fun,” Saionji said cheerfully. “They were so tangled up that Tsumiki couldn’t untie them by herself.”

“P-please, spare me, Saionji-san…” The third girl said, clearly ashamed, but she didn’t seem to care.

That’s when he noticed the look Natsumi gave them.

“Tsumiki…? Saionji…?” She began warily, narrowing her eyes when she finally fixed her gaze on Koizumi. “Of course. I forgot I’m going to see you here.”

“H-huh?” She uttered, also noticing the blonde girl. “W-what…?”

“Did you forget how to speak properly, you idiot?” Natsumi hissed, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Only the three newly arrived girls seemed to understand what’s going on.

“Shut up, you bitch!” Saionji yelled immediately, then turned to Yukizome. “What is Natsumi Kuzuryuu doing here?!”

“Watch your mouth, brat!” Natsumi wasn’t going to just let Saionji insult her. “So it’s still like this, like always she needs someone to protect her. She can’t even fight back!”

“I…” Koizumi seemed a bit helpless, staring at Natsumi and looking like a kicked puppy. “I don’t want to engage in any conflicts. I thought it’s over…”

“Only because I had enough of seeing your face and went to a different high school!” Natsumi snapped.

“Hey, stop it!” Hinata spoke up on a whim. He had no intentions of turning against Natsumi without even understanding the situation, but Koizumi and Saionji were much closer to him, and seeing them getting insulted wasn’t something he could accept. “What is this all about?”

Koizumi gave him a surprisingly thankful look, while Saionji and Natsumi only glared at him.

“We went to the s-same middle school… and were in the same d-drama club,” Tsumiki explained fearfully, still standing close to the door, as if not wanting to get any closer. “Natsumi-san w-was always competing against Koizumi-san…”

“Competing? Don’t make me laugh!” Saionji yelled. “She was bullying big sis Mahiru because she was better than her!”

“You’re the one making me laugh,” Natsumi snorted. “That bland girl better than me? Now that’s funny!”

“Girls, stop it!” Yukizome tried to interrupt them, but they were too absorbed in their argument.

“Yes, she’s better! She was the one getting roles, and you were simply envious about that!”

Koizumi put her hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “Hiyoko-chan, please, leave it be…”

“No! How long had it lasted before I even learned that someone like her exists!? I had no idea until I started middle school, two years after you!”

“I have no fucking idea what you’re all taking about, but I don’t like the way you talk about my sister,” Kuzuryuu exclaimed, also visibly upset.

“Ah, so she’s really your sister,” Saionji muttered grudgingly. “I hoped it’s just a coincidence and you only have the same surname. Oh well. Not that it changes anything.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I mean that it doesn’t matter how much I like big bro Kuzuryuu, Natsumi Kuzuryuu is still an enemy.”

And with that, she turned her back on them and walked out of the room. Koizumi looked as if she was about to go after her, but Natsumi decided not to let this fight die yet.

“Ah, so you can’t do anything when she’s not here. Pathetic.”

The red-haired girl looked at the door, then at Natsumi, unsure of what she should do. Right now, she barely reminded the confident person she usually appeared to be. It was almost painful to watch, so…

Hinata recalled that he still owed her something.

“I’m going to talk to Saionji,” he said to Koizumi. She only gave him a nod, but this whole situation must’ve been really stressful to her, what did he expect?

“I still can’t understand how did you even get this ro-“ Natsumi wanted to say something more, but before Hinata left the room he witnessed something he didn’t expect to happen.

“Stop behaving like a spoiled brat,” Sato said, stepping between Koizumi and Natsumi. “From what I see, you’re the one at fault here, so leave her alone.”

“Not you too,” the other girl hissed. “You don’t know anything, so shut up.”

“If she got the role and you didn’t, then she’s obviously better, that’s easy enough for me,” Sato replied. “To me it looks like you simply can’t accept it.”

“What did you say?!”

Instead of listening further Hinata decided to leave. He was sure that if things got out of hand someone would stop them, most likely Yukizome, or maybe Kuzuryuu, since it was his sister involved…

Now he kind of understood why Kuzuryuu said that bringing Natsumi here would cause a disaster. Hinata doubted that he knew about the conflict between Koizumi and his sister, he looked just as confused as them, but he must’ve known how easy it is to provoke her.

He didn’t exactly know what he was going to tell Saionji, so he sighed in relief when Komaeda and Nanami followed him. She was a pretty difficult person, so having them by his side calmed him down a bit.

***

They found her outside of the building, sitting on the stairs and fiercely pressing her foot into the ground. She looked… well, pretty much furious.

“What are you doing, Saionji-san…?” Nanami asked her.

“Squishing some bugs,” she replied. “They’re just walking everywhere and pissing me off. They all should disappear.”

“O-oh…”

“Just like Natsumi Kuzuryuu,” she added, not even blinking. “I hate her. What is she doing here?”

“I doubt Yukizome-san was aware that you knew each other…” Hinata said.

“Of course she didn’t. I’m not going to blame Yukizome-san, I’m not stupid,” Saionji muttered in response. “But I don’t want this bitch here! I’m not going to accept anyone who treats big sis Mahiru badly!”

The three of them sat on the stairs near her, trying to think of what they should tell her. It wasn’t easy, since they all saw what kind of treatment Koizumi received from Natsumi…

“Hey, big bro Hinata, big sis Nanami, big bro Komaeda…” Saionji spoke up again. “Wanna hear a story?”

“Eh? What kind of story?” Komaeda asked her.

“About us. Me, big sis Mahiru, Tsumiki and Natsumi Kuzuryuu,” she said. “Well, I’ll tell you even if you don’t want to hear. I’m pissed off right now and I want someone to understand why.”

“Go ahead.” Hinata gave her a nod. “I’m feel like I’m getting used to hearing stories like that…”

“So… where should I begin…” Saionji mumbled to herself then looked at them. “We’ve known each other for quite a while, you know. Me, big sis Mahiru and Tsumiki. To be more precise, since elementary school. I’m not going to get into details, but a long time ago I was bullied. Don’t get me wrong now, it wasn’t a problem at all. I could get rid of those fuckers on my own… But once, big sis Mahiru saw it and chased them off, threatening that she’ll tell the teacher if they ever pick on me again. Back then, I thought that she’s really cool. I still think this way." She blushed slightly and looked away. "Then Tsumiki appeared. She transferred to big sis Mahiru's class and you could at first glance say that she's a klutz and a pushover. Of course someone would take advantage of it... And for some reason it was really pissing me off, both that idiot and her stupid bullies... But big sis Mahiru decided to defend her too, so I did the same. I mean, I tried to make them leave her alone. I still found her freaking annoying though, but she's not that bad, I can stand her."

_It's her who has to stand you_ , Hinata thought.

"They still hung out with me even after graduating from elementary school, so I knew they joined the drama club. Big sis Mahiru was always so happy when she managed to get a role!" Saionji smiled at the memory. "I didn't notice that anything was wrong, so when I graduated I decided to go to the same middle school and join too. That's when I met Natsumi Kuzuryuu. She didn't even try to hide what she treats big sis Mahiru like! And she was doing it for absolutely no reason!"

"Maybe I shouldn't say it now, but... That's pretty much what you're doing to Tsumiki-san," Komaeda said before they could stop him. It made Saionji open her mouth and then close it. She probably never realized it...

"It's not the same thing!" She yelled after processing Komaeda's accusation. "I'm not spoiled enough to bully someone out of jealously!"

"You say that she's... just jealous?" Nanami tried to go back to the topic of Natsumi. It wouldn't do any good to upset her any more.

"What else could it be? She never bullied Tsumiki, because she was too shy to try and get any of the important roles. She chose big sis Mahiru because of her successes! Big sis Mahiru is an amazing person, so I can't see any other reason..." Saionji said. "I won't allow it to happen again! This girl is here only for a moment, she has no right to boss us around!"

These words left Hinata quite impressed. Since the beginning it was obvious that Saionji had a lot more respect for Koizumi than for anyone else, but he didn't expect her to be so protective of her friend...

"I think I understand you a little," he spoke up. "I mean, I've never been in a situation like that, but... I understand wanting to protect someone who's dear to you."

"You do?" Saionji muttered, not looking convinced.

"I believe I do." Hinata nodded, ignoring the fact that Nanami and Komaeda were listening. Even if they realized what he was talking about... well, no tragedy would happen. "I once promised to look after someone, you know?"

"Are they still alive?"

"Are you trying to make fun of me?"

"Yeah, I am."

"That's what you get for trying to be nice," Komaeda laughed.

"Sometimes I wonder why do I even bother," he sighed. "I just wanted to say that picking fights won't solve the problem. If you really want to help Koizumi, you can't just go and insult Natsumi. You have to use your head."

"Hinata-kun is right. We have to handle this like adults," Nanami added.

"It's her who doesn't want to handle this like an adult!" Saionji shouted, looking almost as if she was on the verge of tears. "She’s the problem!"

"I'm sure Kuzuryuu-kun and Pekoyama-san will try talking to her," Komaeda assured her. "They're responsible people, I think you can count on them…”

“Yeah! And the other new girl, Sato, also stood up for Koizumi,” Hinata pointed out. “Nobody’s going to let Natsumi do what she wants, but let’s try to solve this without unnecessary fights.”

“And you think it’ll work?”

“You won’t know until you try, right?”

“Big bro Hinata…” For a split second, she looked quite touched. Then her expression changed. “What’s with that lame thing in your hair?”

Shit. He completely forgot about that hairpin Komaeda left in his hair earlier. He must’ve looked pretty dumb in her eyes now.

“Eh… That’s… What are you laughing at?!” He turned to Nanami and Komaeda, who were giggling shamelessly. “It’s your fault that she’s making fun of me now!”

“I don’t really feel quilty.” Komaeda shrugged.

“Me neither,” Nanami agreed with him.

“I have a feeling that someone got left out,” Saionji snickered. “When did they become such good friends, big bro Hinata?”

“Good to see the old you is back. Now let’s go back and don’t cause Yukizome-san any more problems.” Hinata stood up, hoping that Kuzuryuu did his part of the job and calmed his sister down. Honestly, why couldn’t they just all live in peace…

***

“It’s none of your business, so just stay out of it!” Natsumi yelled at Sato after Hinata, Komaeda and Nanami ran after Saionji.

“So you want me to just watch as you insult her?! I’ll say once again, leave her alone!”

“Hey, there’s no need to get angry at her…” Koizumi tried to make Sato step back. “Just stop it.”

“If nobody says anything, this awful girl will just continue to treat you horribly,” Sato said.

“Don’t call Natsumi awful!” Kuzuryuu finally had enough of just listening.

“But that’s the truth!” Sato replied angrily. “Aside from that girl who has just left, nobody will tell you that, because they’re your friends! I’m a stranger, so I…”

“Enough!”

They all turned to Yukizome, whose voice resounded in the room. “I’m not going to tolerate this any longer. You all need to calm down and swallow your pride if you want to work with each other. I’ll give you some time to cool down, so please, put your personal conflicts aside.”

Now they probably really made her angry. Of course, who the fuck wouldn’t get angry at suck a stupid situation…

Natsumi bit her lip in frustration, then moved towards the door. “I’ll come back. I just need a moment without looking at your faces.”

Kuzuryuu immediately exchanged looks with Peko to see whether they were thinking of the same thing. Turns out that they were, as they both decided to go after Natsumi. They needed some explanations.

“Sorry about that, Koizumi,” he muttered when passing her. She just looked away, and he wasn’t even surprised.

When they caught up to Natsumi she just gave them a glare. “What, are you going to give me a lecture?”

“How the hell can I give you a lecture when I don’t even know what’s going on?! I had no idea you know Koizumi!”

“You both should stop shouting at each other.” Peko lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

“Right, right… Thanks,” Kuzuryuu sighed. “But whatever’s between you and Koizumi, just knock it off. She’s a friend of both me and Peko, so I don’t want to see anything like that ever again.”

“You don’t even care how I feel right now?!” Natsumi asked, still angry.

“Of course I do! It also pissed me off how Saionji and Sato treated you!”

“Then why..?!”

“Because there was something true about what they were saying,” Peko spoke up, calm as usual.

“On whose side are you!?”

“On yours, of course!” She added instantly. “But you have to be more considerate of feelings of others!”

“We don’t want you to become friends with Koizumi, neither do we want you to go and apologize to her,” Kuzuryuu said. “Just ignore her and do your job. Or is it too hard?”

Natsumi clenched her fists and grit her teeth. “Fine. Fucking fine. It’s not like I’m going to stay here for a long time anyway.”

“Good,” he muttered. “That’s why I was so worried about bringing you here…”

Peko gave them a concerned look, but didn’t say anything. All of them understood it solved nothing.

***

Koizumi sat on the stairs leading to the café, going through the photos on her camera to calm herself down. It was only just morning, and she already had enough.

She never expected to see Natsumi Kuzuryuu again, especially not in a place like this. She actually hoped to never see her again, as the only thing Natsumi did during the time they’d known each other was turning her life into a living hell.

She was quite grateful to Hinata for offering to talk to Hiyoko. She wasn’t sure if she could do it by herself right now... Maybe she should give him more credit. He was quite responsible for a boy.

For a moment she stopped on a photo of Kuzuryuu and Peko. He had a smile on his face, and she was blushing slightly at something he said. She liked that pic a lot, they looked so happy… Their feelings were pretty obvious, and Koizumi was rooting for them with her whole heart. While not all friendships would work as a romantic relationship, she was almost sure that Peko and Kuzuryuu would be a great couple exactly because they knew each other so well.

Koizumi didn’t want her friendship with them to get ruined because of Natsumi. The perspective of this was making her feel sick…

And so, while moping around like this, she heard someone’s voice.

“Are you fine?

“Huh?” She raised her head to see that pretty, dark-haired girl who defended her earlier. “Y-yeah, I am… Thanks for helping me…”

“It’s fine.” She waved her hand and smiled at her. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Sato, and I’m going to play Misaki.”

“Nice to meet you, Sato-san.” Koizumi somehow managed to return her smile. “I’m Mahiru Koizumi.”

“So, can I call you Mahiru?” Sato asked, sitting down next to her. Koizumi replied with a nod. “Did you get that camera with your costume?”

“No, it’s mine.” She shook her head. “Yukizome-san let me use it instead of giving me a new one. This way I can take photos whenever I want…”

“So you like photography? Can I see your pics?”

Sato seemed… surprisingly nice. If she really was this nice, then Natsumi must’ve really rubbed her the wrong way earlier…

“Sure,” Koizumi said, handing the device to her.

“They’re really good,” she said after a while. “I also like photography, so I can recognize a photo taken by a skilled photographer.”

“You really think so?” Koizumi could feel her cheeks turning red. Someone she’d only just met complimented her photos…

“I do. But you’re barely in any of them. It’s only the rest of the cast…”

“Well, I’m the photographer, and I can’t really be in two places at the same time…” She laughed quietly, letting herself get distracted from that whole conflict with Natsumi.

Sato raised the camera and directed it at her, most likely wanting to take a picture of her, but then lowered it. “It’s no fun if you’re not smiling in a photo…”

“S-sorry…”

“Then what about a selfie? With me?” She asked.

“I don’t really like taking selfies…”

“Come on, Mahiru, just one!” Sato moved closer to her, put an arm around her shoulder and raised the camera again.

_Actually… why not?_

Koizumi did her best to smile when the other girl pressed the shutter button.

“Look, it’s cute!” She showed her the photo with a proud expression. “You’re really pretty when you smile, so don’t let that Natsumi girl make you feel down!”

Something was telling Koizumi that she’d just found a new friend.

***

After everyone returned to the restaurant room, the tension was still present. Koizumi seemed better, probably thanks to Sato, but Natsumi and Saionji were still glaring at each other from time to time…

At least they all forced themselves to get to work, and… Hinata wondered whether all of them also seemed that awkward at first. Sato was probably doing her best, but in comparison to Mioda, Saionji, Tsumiki and Koizumi she really seemed nervous and tense. They’d most likely have to spend more time on this…

It was even more visible when it came to the scene with Natsumi and Sato. Their nervousness aside… To put it mildly, they also didn’t seem too fond on each other.

“How should I put it…” Yukizome muttered at some point. “Your acting is good, but it seems to be lacking something…”

“Maybe if someone could show Natsumi-chan and Sato-chan how it should look…” Mioda suggested.

“I don’t have anything against. You have more experience, so I could probably learn something from you,” Sato said.

“Then maybe… Tsumiki-san, please, take over Sato-san’s role. Koizumi-san, you take over Natsumi-san’s role. Is it okay?”

“You really want to prove me that I’m worse this badly…?” Natsumi gave them a wry look.

“Listen, Natsumi-san.” Yukizome approached her and put her arms on her shoulders. “You’re already good. I chose you because I’m sure of it. We just want to teach you something, so you can be even better.”

“Tch. Okay…”

Only now had Hinata realized how much changing the actors could change the whole scene. While they certainly weren’t those kind of characters Tsumiki and Koizumi were best at playing, their acting felt much more natural and believable. Also… for the first time they could see Tsumiki lose her cool, since the scenes she could really shine in were all in chapter three.

After they were done, even Natsumi looked impressed.

“I don’t intend to insult you now, but…” Sato turned to Natsumi. “I don’t think you stand a chance against them.”

“Good, drag her,” Saionji whispered loudly.

“Are you looking for a trouble?” Kuzuryuu flicked her forehead with his finger.

“Oww, it hurts! Stop it, big bro Kuzuryuu!”

Almost nobody paid attention to the fact that this time Natsumi stayed silent.

***

“Man, that was a wild day!” Mioda exclaimed on their way to the train station.

“And you just had to end it with pulling a prank on Natsumi. As if she didn’t cause us enough trouble today,” Hinata sighed in resignation. She showed them another perfect proof that no one can control Ibuki Mioda.

“Come on, that was funny!”

“She didn’t think that way though. Something like this might’ve worked on Souda, but…”

“But I think it really was funny,” Nanami commented.

“If you find seeing a zoom on Suzuki’s creepiest face on your mirror funny then I’m seriously worried about your sense of humor…” Hinata muttered. “Mioda, why did you even have something like that with you?”

“Just in case. Ibuki thought that it would work better than Nicholas Cage!”

“Why did I even ask…”

By the end of the day they even had to reassign the dressing rooms, since Natsumi and Sato refused to share one. Eventually Natsumi ended up with Peko, Sato with Koizumi, and Saionji, to everyone’s surprise, offered to be with Tsumiki. Kuzuryuu’s sister really turned out to be troublesome…

“What do you think, how will this all end?” Komaeda asked suddenly.

“I hope that not in a murder.”

“That was a terrible joke, Hinata-kun.”

“You’re laughing though.”

Nanami looked at them pityingly. “And they say that I’m the one with bad sense of humor…”

“Going back to the topic… I wonder if Natsumi-san is really just jealous about Koizumi-san…” Komaeda said. “Maybe there’s something more…”

“Ibuki doesn’t know about it, but she hopes that she’s not going to hate us forever. Ibuki wants to ask her about embarrassing stories from Fuyuhiko-chan’s childhood, because Peko-chan just won’t say anything.”

“That’s the only thing you’re worried about?”

“Well, not really…” She turned more serious. “Ibuki’s worried about Mahiru-chan… Hiyoko-chan also looked upset the whole day…”

“So… It really was quite a wild day,” Hinata concluded, having absolutely no clue about what to do with this situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still like an hour of Friday here where I live so it means I'm on time! Who is Natsumi tho. Who is Sato. I don't know, I want to sleep  
> Also, I'll probably take a break the next week. It's Christmas, so I doubt I'll be able to write. Sorry for that!
> 
> But thank you so so much for all the support this fic gets! I know I say it every time, but I love all of you, you're the best!   
> And look, there's more of these cute sketches, this time inspired by the previous chapter! (https://twitter.com/ChromeXVII/status/809218769176272896) They give me life, so I just have to show them to you~


	19. All well that ends well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata goes SHSL Friend again 
> 
> I also have some KuzuPeko

The next few days made it obvious that they shouldn’t expect any drastic changes or emotional reconciliation.

What happened during that time?

Contrary to the expectations, Sato became the one to befriend the cast members. She got especially close to Koizumi, as they seemed to share a hobby and just simply had a lot in common. At first reserved Tsumiki also eventually accepted her, and Saionji basically founded a ‘Koizumi Defense Squad’ with her. Hinata had no idea how she’d done it, but they all forgot that she’s new before they could even notice that.

It was the opposite for Natsumi. Well, maybe not the exact opposite, since most of them were trying to treat her normally, but her situation was complicated. As long as her brother or Pekoyama were around she was keeping herself in check. During these moments she really didn’t seem like a bad person – she’d probably easily be able to gain their acceptance again… But then she would just snap at something Koizumi did, and that would cause another fight.

In short, Sato was always welcomed there, even when she was done rehearsing and just decided to come and visit her new friend, while Natsumi – not quite.

They all were trying not to treat Natsumi like an enemy, as Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama were their friends, but on the other hand, Koizumi and Saionji were their friends as well. It was impossible to decide which side they should take. Only Sato and Natsumi could do whatever they wanted.

In the end, they decided to film the twilight syndrome scenes on the same day as the second trial, so they could all have a break from the constant tension.

***

"Ready for another day of dealing with girls that are on each other's throats?"

Komaeda laughed on the other side of the phone. "Maybe it won't be that bad this time. You can never know what's going to happen."

Lately they began talking on the phone in the evenings, despite still seeing each other every day. They weren't even talking about anything important, just chatting for a few minutes before going to sleep. It was the same today - Hinata was standing on the balcony next to the living room and staring at the quiet neighborhood while making small talk with Komaeda. In the meantime he noticed that it was starting to get really cold at nights.

"Who are you and what have you done to Komaeda?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, but it's awfully positive of you. I would say that almost out of character", he replied. "But I like that way of thinking, even though Natsumi getting along with Koizumi's group seems kind of unrealistic."

"I didn't even mean that," Komaeda said.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I think... It'll all come to an end soon," he replied enigmatically. "I mean, none of them seems to be fine with just letting go of their grudge. I think it's safe to assume that they'll try to resolve their situation somehow."

"Like, tomorrow?"

"Maybe?” Hinata could almost see him shrug. “In the end, if they don’t do anything tomorrow, it may be the last time we even see them together, so who knows… Though I kind of want to see that.”

“What, another fight?”

“No. I want to see them overcoming their weaknesses,” Komaeda stated. “It may sound weird, but… I think I kind of understand where Natsumi-san is coming from…”

“You do?”

“Don’t you think that maybe she just wanted to be acknowledged? But nothing was really going her way, so she ended up turning her disappointment into anger…” He explained his point of view. “But while I do understand wishing to be acknowledged by someone, I don’t approve taking out your pain on someone innocent…”

“Maybe you’re right… I don’t really get her,” Hinata sighed.

“That’s a little surprising for me. Out of all of us, you seem to be the most emphatic one.”

“You’re overestimating me.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Komaeda laughed at him. “You’re better than you see it yourself.”

“A-anyway, I’m hanging up. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Hinata-kun.”

“Ah, Hajime!” His mom appeared in the doorway, blocking his only path to go back inside the house. “Talking with that person you like?”

“T-that’s none of your business! I was just talking to Komaeda!”

“Aaah?” She raised one brow, but didn’t say anything else and simply let him in.

***

“Look, it’s Natsumi-chan.” Mioda pointed at the girl standing in front of a vending machine on the train station. It was actually the first time they saw her there, but… Maybe she was simply avoiding them most of time?

“What are we going to do…?” Nanami asked hesitantly. “Say hello? Or pretend that we didn’t see her?”

Apparently Komaeda had a different idea. “Don’t you think someone should finally talk to her about her behavior…?”

“Huh?” Hinata glanced at him, already suspecting where this was going.

“I mean someone unrelated, but who also has the patience to listen to her…”

“Want to give it a try?” He suggested, trying to avoid being framed into being the chosen one.

“It’s the last chance, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda looked at him innocently. “We wouldn’t want a total doofus like me to ruin it, right?”

“Right, Hajime-chan should do it!” Mioda exclaimed, not even bothering herself with subtle suggestions.

“Why me? I have no idea what should I say to her,” he protested weakly, knowing that it was already a lost case. “I don’t know anything about her, aside from the fact that she’s rude and generally unpleasant.”

“Somehow… you always can find the right words, Hinata-kun,” Nanami said, trying to encourage him.

He had a feeling that he was slowly becoming someone on whom the others were usually deciding to rely when an unexpected problem emerged. He couldn’t deny the fact that it was partially his own fault, as he just kept getting involved in the lives of so many people… but it was slowly getting out of hand.

“If I fail, things may become even worse,” he said, glancing at his friends. “There’s a chance she’ll just come to a conclusion that I’m nosy and decide to hate me too.”

“There’s always a possibility like that…” Komaeda nodded, but then gave him a smile, and that almost made him to agree. “But I believe in you, Hinata-kun.”

“Come on, Hajime-chan! Someone has to reach out to her and make the angst go away!”

“Her own brother should do it. Not me…”

“Why you’re so stubborn?”

“…but I’ll try.”

“Yahooo!”

“So the rest of you are going to leave. She’s not a person that would forgive eavesdropping.”

“Fine,” Mioda sighed, a little disappointed. “Chiaki-chan, Nagito-chan, we’re setting off!”

Hinata turned to the blonde girl, who was still standing in the same place, about to press a button on the vending machine. The perspective of actually taking to her one-on-one was making him a little nervous – for a girl the same age, she could be pretty intimidating. And it’s not like he even understood her especially well… But didn’t he also owe something to Kuzuryuu…?

 _I should just stop caring so much,_ he thought as he approached Natsumi and on the last moment pressed a different button on the machine.

“Hey, I didn’t want this shit!” She snapped instantly, before even noticing who was the person that dared to mess with her. “Oh, it’s you…”

“Hello,” he muttered, taking the can of coke he chose on a whim. “That one is for me. I’ll give you your money back.”

“Couldn’t you just wait for your turn?” Natsumi asked angrily.

“This way I wouldn’t have a pretext to start a conversation…” Hinata mumbled barely audibly,  but the girl immediately frowned at him.

“What do you mean by that? Are you trying to hit on me?”

“Hell no.” He also gave her a frown, making it seem like none of them really wanted to have anything to do with the other. “I just wanted to have a normal conversation with you at least once. You’re my friend’s sister, and my colleague, despite the way you behave.”

To his utter surprise, her glare actually softened a bit. “Oh. If that’s the case…”

“What else did you expect?”

“I don’t know.” Natsumi looked at the ground. “You’re all big brother’s friends, so I don’t have anything against you… But you’re also that girl’s friends, so you can’t be mine.”

“I can’t say I like that way of thinking,” Hinata sighed, but at this point he could see she was in a rather good mood today. Maybe he could use this chance. “You up for sitting down for a moment?”

“...to be honest, why not,” she muttered. “If I can avoid seeing Koizumi and her bodyguards for a while longer…”

She bought herself another drink, then they simply sat on a nearby bench, and Hinata was already wondering how he should bring up the topic without upsetting her too much.

“Hey, why do you even hate Koizumi so much?” He tried hesitantly.

“Huh?” Natsumi instantly sent a glare at him. “She just pisses me off, that’s all. She doesn’t deserve to be the one to play with big brother.”

“Figures…” Hinata sighed in resignation. Why did she have to be so hard to deal with. “You seem to care about your brother a lot.”

“Of course I do, we’re twins,” she replied. “Is there anything weird about it?”

“No, I didn’t mean it to sound like this,” he explained. “It just… you always put his opinion above everything else, am I right? When he’s in the room you even ignore Koizumi and Saionji…”

For a moment she stayed silent and just stared at the can in her hands.

“Of course I do,” she repeated, this time with less confidence. “My brother is the best, so gotta make him proud of me…”

Ah, so Komaeda was right again. Bringing Kuzuryuu up might’ve been the right thing to do…

“You know… Both your brother and Pekoyama are friends with Koizumi and Saionji. You treating their friends like shit won’t make them proud of you.”

“I know this!” She yelled angrily. “I know this, and yet…”

“For me it looks like… You don’t really have that good of a relationship with them,” he said, not certain if he’s really sure of what he’s talking about, or just making things up. “They’re important to you, and vice versa, but something just doesn’t work.”

“It’s none of your business, Hinata!”

Now she was seriously angry. Maybe it actually was a bad idea… But if he came this far, he couldn’t just leave it like that. Go big or go home.

“So I hit the nail.”

“Why do you even care?!”

“Because I’m your brother’s friend too, and I know he loves you,” Hinata stated, making her open her mouth in surprise. “It’s no fun to watch him stress himself over the fact that his beloved little sister doesn’t get along with his friends."

“He doesn’t even want me here…” She muttered, suddenly sounding much more vulnerable. “I just wanted to have fun with him and Peko, like when we were younger…”

“And what prevents you from doing so?”

Natsumi closed her eyes, probably wondering why the hell she was talking about it with a stranger. “I don’t know. Somehow… we drifted apart in the meantime. Like, I couldn’t get to the same middle school big brother and Peko went to, and ended up going to a different one alone… We started spending less and less time together, and while he and Peko only got closer… I got left behind.”

“I’ve heard somewhere that middle school is the time when even the closest siblings begin to argue and seek independence…”

“I bet you don’t have siblings,” Natsumi snarked.

“Well, I don’t, but I have a friend that I treat almost like a sister…” Hinata subconsciously thought of Mioda, who just kept annoying him for so many years.

“And how would you feel if she suddenly thought ‘fuck, I don’t need him anymore’?”

“Now that I think about it… That would suck, probably.” He nodded, for once agreeing with her. “You went to the audition because you wanted to fix your relationship…?”

“And what if I did?! Is there anything wrong with that?!” She yelled again, making some random people give them irritated looks.

“No, I didn’t say that-“

“That why it pisses me off that this girl again gets something I couldn’t! It’s so unfair!”

Hinata just really hoped that she wouldn’t cry. He understood that it’s easy to begin crying when you’re angry, but if that happened he seriously wouldn’t know how to deal with her.

“It was always just her. Koizumi this, Koizumi that. What’s so fucking amazing about her? I don’t get it!” Natsumi exclaimed with determination. “Why everyone always love her when there’s actually nothing great about her!?”

Koizumi was a good actor and friend, pretty strict, but responsible and still rather nice. But Hinata couldn’t just go and tell Natsumi this, when she believed that she hated her. And… at the same time he thought that it wasn’t really hatred. She really was jealous, though for a different reason than it initially seemed so…

“I think that instead of taking it out on Koizumi, you should just talk with your brother and Pekoyama,” he said. “I’m sure they would be happy if you decided to be honest with them…”

“Are you an idiot?! I can’t do something like that!”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Give me one reason why being honest is wrong,” he said, and it looked like by accident he found something that would make her go completely silent.

“It’s not… wrong…” she muttered after about a minute. “But it’s impossible. Can’t do. Just no.”

“Why?”

“Fuck, you’re telling me to be honest after all of this!? After he found out that I’m a fucking bully!?” Tears appeared in her eyes again, and Hinata was beginning to panic, since this time they clearly weren’t angry tears.

“Then just apologize and try to change your behavior, okay? It’s going to be fine…”

“Impossible! I can’t do this!” She shouted. “This way I would admit I was wrong…”

“That’s my personal opinion, but I think being a coward is more shameful than being wrong,” Hinata replied. That was his final attempt of provoking her take some action. If it didn’t work, nothing would.

But it worked.

“So you think I’m a coward!?” Natsumi stood up faster than he could deny it. “Never call someone from the Kuzuryuu family a coward if you don’t want to end up dead!”

“I…”

“You want me to talk with big brother?! Fine, I will!” She picked up her bag and turned to the exit, but before leaving she looked at him one last time. “I’ll prove you that I can do anything I want!”

And she left, sniffing loudly, what made it pretty obvious that she was crying.

“Holy shit, Kuzuyuu is going to kill me for this,” he said to himself.

“You think so? Don’t you think that he may actually be grateful to you?” He heard a voice of someone that definitely shouldn’t be there.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been listening. I told you to go ahead with Mioda and Nanami…” He sighed, turning to Komaeda, who successfully managed to keep himself hidden.

“Sorry,” he laughed. “I was curious how are you going to handle this.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think that you did pretty well,” he said, sitting down next to him. “Now it all depends on how Natsumi-san, Kuzuryuu-kun and Pekoyama-san are going to deal with it.”

“Why am I even getting involved…”

“Because you’re too good for your own sake,” Komaeda commented with a soft smile, moving a little closer. “I can’t even imagine how our group would look like without you.”

“Like I said, you’re overestimating me,” Hinata muttered, wondering whether he should ask the question that was bothering him. It seemed wrong, but… “Hey, Komaeda…”

“What it it, Hinata-kun?”

“If you were in Koizumi’s shoes… Would you forgive Natsumi? I mean, if she apologized, or at least changed her behavior…”

“At the moment, I see no reason for Koizumi-san to forgive her,” he replied without hesitation, and Hinata just sighed in resignation. He didn’t know what else he expected from a victim of bullying… Forgiving wasn’t that easy, and Natsumi wasn’t even regretting what she did… “But I’m not her. It’s not for me to decide.”

“Even if Koizumi did forgive her… I don’t think Saionji would,” Hinata said. “I can understand it. I also wouldn’t forgive anyone who tried to hurt you.”

Gathering all his courage, he reached for Komaeda’s hand and took it in his, intertwining their fingers together before the other boy could pull away. And that would be it when it comes to courage, as he couldn’t even force himself to look at him.

“H-Hinata-kun?” Komaeda stuttered, but at the same time gave his hand a soft squeeze instead of pulling away.

“S-sorry… I just felt like doing it.”

“…it’s fine. It feels nice,” he said, despite still sounding nervous. “But…”

“Nobody even looks in our direction, so we’re safe.”

“…if you say so,” Komaeda muttered in a much calmer voice. “I think we should get going soon…”

“Wait a bit longer.” Hinata finally managed to look at him and laughed slightly. “At least long enough for the Kuzuryuus to deal with their shit.”

“So we’re hiding.”

“I guess so.”

“I don’t really mind,” Komaeda said, slowly caressing the back of his hand with his thumb. Now they really were holding hands, and couldn’t pretend that it’s by some accident… And it was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to make those small gestures normal, so he wouldn’t scare Komaeda off when he really decides to confess.

Because now he was sure that he wanted to do it.

***

And so, the first thing they heard after finally appearing in the studio was…

“What did you do to Natsumi-san?” Yukizome asked in a worried tone, when they ran into her in the hallway. “She stormed in here crying and dragged Kuzuryuu-kun and Pekoyama-san outside. Mioda-san and Nanami-san said, that…

“I’m really going to die,” Hinata interrupted her with a sigh. That was to be expected.

***

“What is it, Natsumi?” Her brother asked her with a worried frown. “Did someone do something to you? Which bastard…”

“It’s not like this!” She yelled through tears. “Though that Hinata guy really pissed me off…”

“So it was Hinata…”

“I’m telling you it’s not like this!”

“Then what is it like?!”

“Just stop arguing with her and let her talk!” Peko interrupted the twins. “That’s what you want, right, Natsumi?”

She swallowed her tears, then nodded. “T-thanks, Peko…”

“Don’t thank me. I don’t like seeing you cry…” She gave her a really affectionate look and that just made Natsumi even more frustrated.

“T-that’s why I’ve got enough of this!” She yelled, forgetting that she still hadn’t told them what was her problem. But what she could do about the fact that she just fucking sucked at communication?

“Enough of what!? Say it already!” Fuyuhiko raised his voice again, despite all these times when Peko reminded him he shouldn’t shout.

“Enough of you paying attention to me only when something bad happens!” She sobbed out. “I get it, I’m the less talented and less smart sibling, but I don’t want to stay behind!”

For a moment she didn’t get a reply, and the only sound that could be heard was her loud sniffing. That made her wonder if she should go and kick that loser Hinata’s ass.

“…is that why you’ve been behaving like that all this time?” Peko finally asked.

“Like what!? I only wanted to become someone who’s worth being your friend and big brother’s sister! What’s wrong with that!?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, stupid!” He shouted at her. “But have you ever considered that you don’t really have to do anything?! You’re my family, there’s no such a thing as being worth of that!”

“B-but…”

“Listen to me, Natsumi.” Peko without hesitating much pulled her into a hug. “We never intended to distance ourselves from you. If you felt left out, you could’ve just said so…”

“Fucking right, we’re not psychics to know what’s going on in your head...”

“I’m not pathetic enough to beg for your attention…”

“Sometimes I think that you’re more than just a couple of minutes younger than me,” Fuyuhiko sighed. “Talking things through is not pathetic.”

“Your brother is right.” Peko smiled at her gently. “We would’ve long since stopped being friends if we didn’t know that…”

_And if you really knew that, you’d have long became something more than friends, idiots._

“So I…”

“You have nothing to worry about,” her brother muttered. “Damn, if only I knew sooner that I should still treat you like a little kid…”

“I’m not a little kid!”

“Now I’m pretty damn sure you are,” he said. “Anyway… What should I do about this… I don’t have time to babysit you, so… Damn, it would be easier if you just called it a truce with Koizumi and the rest of the girls, this way you’d be able to come here without causing another drama…”

It was so ironic. She always wanted to eliminate Koizumi so she could take her place… But now, what she needed to do in order to find her own place was making up with that girl. If she did it…

“I’ll do it,” she exclaimed to very surprised Fuyuhiko and Peko. “I won’t bully Koizumi anymore.”

“Are you serious…?” Peko asked her hesitantly.

“I am. If that’s what I need to do to be with you and big brother…” she mumbled. “If I decide I’ll do something, then it means I’ll really do it. I’ll prove it to you.”

“Hey, you don’t have to…”

“But you need to promise me that even if you get together or some other shit you’ll still find time for me.” She sniffed once again, suddenly losing half of her confidence. Sometimes being honest is easier when you’re fueled by frustration. Now that she got all of this off her chest, the self-consciousness came back again.

Her statement made both of them blush heavily, but they decided to ignore that part about them becoming a couple.

“Of course.” Fuyuhiko gave her a nod.

“To be honest, I’m relieved that you finally broke the silence,” Peko said. “I missed you a bit…”

“Only a bit?” Natsumi asked, not being able to stop herself from smiling.

Maybe that Hinata guy wasn’t that bad of an advisor, and now things would really work out somehow.

***

After all these fights with Natsumi, Koizumi was almost glad that her time here was coming to an end. She had a lot of fun while rehearsing and filming, but now she was simply tired.

“Are you alright, Mahiru?” Sato asked her, giving her a concerned look. “You look as if you haven’t slept well…”

On the other hand, she got to meet Sato. They became friends surprisingly fast, discovering that they both lived in the same neighborhood and had very similar interests. Koizumi thought that she had even more in common with her than with Hiyoko and Mikan.

Sato probably felt the same, as she soon came to visibly despise Natsumi for bullying her.

“I’m fine,” she replied with a forced smile. “I'm just a little nervous. It’s… kind of my last day here. I don’t want anything to go wrong…”

“I bet she’s plotting something again. You saw her before, right?” The other girl furrowed her brows.

“Chiaki-chan and Ibuki-chan said that it was probably because of something Hinata told her, but… I don’t know how much can I expect from someone like him,” Koizumi sighed, fixing the ribbon she had tied around her neck as a part of her uniform. “But let’s talk about something more pleasant. There’s a photography competition coming up. Are you going to take part?”

“Eh? Me?” Sato seemed surprised. “No way, I’m nowhere near being good enough for that. But you should definitely try. I can see you winning!”

She said that completely naturally, with a smile on her face, but Koizumi still felt embarrassed. She was blushing for sure, but there was no way of stopping it. Sato was pretty good at making her feel this way.

“There’s no…”

Before she could even finish her sentence Natsumi Kuzuryuu returned to the room, with her eyes still red from crying, and looking as if she was about to face some really terrifying challenge. She glanced towards the table they were sitting by and without hesitation approached them, gaining the attention of everyone who was present. Hiyoko, who was helping Mikan fix her bandages that yet again came off, instantly sent a glare at the blonde girl and even stood up when Natsumi hit the surface of the table with an open hand.

“Before you start lecturing me once more, let me say something,” she told Sato, since she was ready to snap at her again. “I give up.”

“Huh?” Koizumi uttered, not quite getting her point.

“I’m not going to apologize, but you win this time. I’ll never insult you again, and if I do, feel free to hit me,” she stated firmly. “I’m not an enemy anymore, get it?”

“What?”

“You think we’ll believe it just like that? You must be kidding me,” Hiyoko snorted. “You’re a liar.”

“I’m not!” Natsumi yelled. “I promised it to big brother!”

“Oh, so big bro Kuzuryuu’s word is final?”

“He’s my brother, not yours, stop calling him like that,” she said with a frown. For a moment Hiyoko stared at her with an amused look, then burst out laughing.

“You’re funny sometimes!”

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“Calm down, both of you,” Koizumi spoke up. “Hey, Natsumi… Do you really mean it?”

She nodded with determination written on her face.

“Then… Let’s start now and get along today, okay?”

“That’s what I intend to do.”

“So I can’t go all out and act as if I really want to kill her during our scene?” What a shame,” Sato sighed.

“Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Because I didn’t say anything about not insulting you.” Natsumi turned to her, narrowing her eyes.

“Come on girls, you’ve only just decided to be friendly and now you’re fighting again.” Yukizome suddenly popped up behind them and put her hand on Natsumi’s shoulder.

“I never said I’m going to be-“

“I’m so glad to see it though!” She didn’t let her object and stroked her hair just like she always did to the rest of them. “We should get to work soon, so get ready.”

“That means ‘go and finally wash your face, you crybaby’,” Sato muttered to Natsumi.

“What did you say?!”

Somewhere in the background, Hinata could only sigh. At least he tried. The rest really wasn’t his problem.

***

To Natsumi’s surprise, ignoring Koizumi turned out to be surprisingly easy. Especially when she realized that Sato was actually more annoying than the red-haired girl.

And this time, unlike during the rehearsals, everything went smoothly. She and Sato had to repeat their scene, as both of them got too nervous with the cameras on for the first time, but nobody seemed to see it as a problem. After that she stayed to watch Sato, Koizumi, Tsumiki, Saionji, Mioda and her brother filming the rest of the twilight syndrome… And she had to admit, they all were impressive.

“Misaki!”

“Sorry, did I make you wait?” Sato asked, approaching Koizumi during their scene. “So what’s up? You asked me to here… Don’t tell me you’re going to confess your love to me?”

Natsumi was sure that Koizumi’s face turned red after that question, and she also could swear that faking a blush couldn’t have been this easy.

“Are they always like that?” She whispered to a pink-haired girl she didn’t talk much with. From what she remembered, her name was Nanami.

“Hmm?” She hummed, looking a little surprised. “Like what?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t,” Hinata interrupted them quietly. “She’s a little oblivious sometimes…”

“About your question, Natsumi-san…” Komaeda attempted to explain. “Since you weren’t coming here as often as Sato-san, you couldn’t have seen that, but… Yes, they pretty much behave like this the whole time.”

“Aaah?” She narrowed her eyes. “Now that’s interesting.”

“Leave big sis Mahiru and her future girlfriend alone,” Saionji muttered with an irritated frown, making Nanami’s eyes go wide.

“So that’s what you meant…”

“I never said I’m going to do anything.” Natsumi shrugged.

“Bitch, I won’t hesitate to make you pay if you come up with something again,” Saionji said.

“Listen to what I say!”

“Natsumi, look, it’s Fuyuhiko’s turn.” Peko pointed at the boy who finally made his appearance. Natsumi instantly stopped paying attention to the younger girl.

“Looks like she threw something away here… What was it?” Fuyuhiko said, picking up the photo Sato threw away. “W-what the hell is this photo?! This vase is…” For a second he stayed silent. “Could it be… the sound of breaking glass… was actually this? If it wasn’t… why did she try to secretly get rid of this…?”

Proud of her brother, Natsumi watched as his expression hardened. His voice was practically shaking from pretended anger. “That bitch… What the hell did she do to my little sister?!”

“Please, don’t kill me,” Sato, who already joined them, whispered in a mocking tone.

“Looks like I need to ask her a few questions… And if that bitch really did that… I will never forgive her!”

“And my friends, my family, probably even my cat,” she added, making Saionji and Mioda giggle to the point of Yukizome turning to them and putting a finger on her lips, signalizing them to stay quiet. Though it was probably too late, since it was the end of this scene.

That’s when Natsumi realized that she wanted to stay here for a little longer. They all seemed to have fun together. Even Sato…

Peko must’ve noticed it. “If you want to, we can visit Fuyuhiko here whenever we have time.”

“..yhm.”

***

“Ryota-chan! Teruteru-chan!” Mioda happily ran towards the two boys to greet them. “So you came!”

“Of course,” Mitarai replied. “Trials are the most interesting part of the games.”

“And you didn’t even get to play in one,” Saionji exclaimed with a smile, leaving him at loss for words.  

Meanwhile Koizumi hesitantly approached Natsumi.

“Hey…”

“What do you want?” She asked reluctantly.

“Since Mitarai, Hanamura, me, Sato and you are playing characters that are already dead at this point… Would you like to sit with us and watch the rest? Kuzuryuu and Peko-chan have important roles in this trial, so…”

“You don’t have to be so nice to her,” Sato said.

“You shut up!” Natsumi snapped at her, then turned to Koizumi. “I… I w-want to…”

“Then come with us,” she replied, giving her a faint smile. Natsumi didn’t really know how she should react. Koizumi should hate her. She shouldn’t be acting so nice…

But instead of reacting in the way she would usually do, she followed the red-haired girl. She even tried to take place next to her on the bench in the back of the room, but Sato shoved herself between them.

“If you think I’m going to let you sit next to Mahiru then you’ve never been more wrong in your life,” she stated.

“You think I care about sitting next to her? Maybe in your dreams.”

Koizumi only smiled awkwardly at the two boys with them, most likely embarrassed due to their behavior. Not that Natsumi cared. She only wanted to watch her brother and Peko.

***

At first they were all eating Hanamura’s homemade food and simply enjoying themselves, but by the end of the trial all of the three girls were sobbing quietly, deeply moved by Peko’s and Fuyuhiko’s performance.

“Here, have a tissue,” Yukizome handed them a box, and nobody even questioned the fact why she had it. They simply accepted it with ‘thanks, Yukizome-san”.

“Prepared as always,” Hanamura laughed.

“I need you! Don’t leave me!” Fuyuhiko shouted with tears in his eyed, and Natsumi started crying even louder.

“Shhh, quiet!” Koizumi whispered to her.”

“Young master!” Peko’s desperate voice reached them.

“…they’re good,” Mitarai muttered. “Really good.”

They ended this scene here, but the two of them didn’t stop crying. The rest of the cast also looked as if they were barely holding back.

“Peko…” He spoke to her, hesitantly extending his hand to her. She accepted it, wiping the tears off her face with her other hand. He lowered his voice and whispered something to her, something that Natsumi couldn’t hear. She nodded, and then both of them moved towards the door, still holding hands.

“He’s going to ask her out,” Natsumi exclaimed bluntly.

“Eeh!?” Koizumi uttered. “How can you know?”

“Dunno. Someone probably provoked him to do that, or maybe he set himself a goal that he’ll do it after her character dies,” she muttered. “I hope I’m right. I’ve had enough of them looking at each other like a married couple.”

“I’m not even surprised,” Mitarai commented.

“Maybe now Kuzuryuu-kun will finally stop looking so angry all the time,” Hanamura said. “You now, there’s probably a lot of unresolved sexual tens-“

“Shut up, you pervert!” Koizumi yelled at him.

“I guess that as the lodge of dead characters we can make bets who gets together next,” Mitarai muttered. “Who do you vote for?”

“I vote Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun!” Hanamura said happily.

“Them? No way, it will take forever for two guys,” Koizumi sighed.  “They don’t know how to take the initiative.”

“Then who do you vote, Mahiru?”

“Hmm… Maybe Ibuki-chan and Souda? And you, Natsumi?”

“Me?” She muttered, faking a bored tone and waving her hand as if it was nothing interesting. “I vote you and Sato.”

Both of their faces immediately turned red. “Eh?!”

“See? You’re two girls, and also can’t take the initiative,” Natsumi laughed mockingly.

She could actually say that this day was much more fun than any other she had spent here.

Though she was still far from coming to like Koizumi, Sato or Saionji.

***

“Peko Pekoyama, please, go out with me!” Kuzuryuu said, bowing in front of the girl of his dreams. He wanted to phrase it differently, make it more special, but she knew him so well that there was no point in that. She probably already knew that he loved her.

“Okay. I will,” she replied without hesitation.

“Just like that?!”

“Just like that. Please, Fuyuhiko, stop bowing to me, it makes me feel awkward,” Peko said, her cheeks flushed pink.

“I can’t believe it was so easy,” he muttered in disbelief. “Hinata was right..”

“What Hinata has to do with it?” She gave him a confused look.

“Nothing, why would he?” He replied instantly. “Does that make us…”

“…”

“…”

“…I believe so…”

“You’re still at it?” Natsumi stuck her head out of the room, since they were only standing in the hallway. “Just kiss already.”

“I have no intention of listening to you, you brat!” He yelled at her, but she only gave him a mocking grin.

“Come on, give me some fanservice.”

“I fucking hate you.”

“You love me. Maybe you love Peko more, but you still love me. Hey, guys, they really got together!”

“Stop embarrassing me in front of my friends!” He yelled, but both of the most important girls in his life only laughed at him.

***

“Seems that this time I’ve lost a bet,” Hinata said.

“What bet? I didn’t know about one,” Komaeda replied, glancing at Natsumi, who stuck the upper half of her body outside the room.

“Good for me,” he laughed awkwardly. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

“Then I’ll be waiting,” Komaeda said. Sometimes Hinata wished that he would actually demand to tell him something, be like ‘I want to know!’, but it just wasn’t like him.

“I know what he's talking about, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami spoke up. “Aren’t you more curious now?”

“Not really…”

“Eeh? You’re no fun, Komaeda-kun.” Nanami puffed her cheeks.

“If Hinata-kun says he’ll tell me, then I believe he’ll do it,” he concluded it. “I’m happy for Kuzuryuu-kun and Pekoyama-san though.”

“All well that ends well,” Nanami stated.

“I want to agree, but something tells me that we’ll far from a real happy end,” Hinata sighed.

It was good enough for now though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I had two weeks this time I wanted to write a nice chapter and all, but then my family arrived for Christmas and brought two little kids with them. I'm so tired you have no idea... Anyway, I hope you forgive me if there were more mistakes than usual, or if this chapter seems a little chaotic... I'm really sorry for that! 
> 
> I also hope you have spent your holidays in nice atmosphere! Since tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I wish you all the best. I think we all agree that 2016 was a pretty bad year, so let's hope that 2017 is going to be better. Happy New Year!
> 
> And, as always, please look at these wonderful drawings, I love them so much ;;;  
> http://nsa38.casimages.com/img/2016/12/17/16121704142593572.jpg  
> http://nsa38.casimages.com/img/2016/12/17/161217041430915928.jpg


	20. Completely sure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So from what I heard that Komaeda OVA is neither as bad as I expected, nor as good as I hoped. I think I can live with this
> 
> I'm really sorry for that unexpected break last week! I just didn't expect myself to be so busy with another couple of mock exams and all

Hinata kept furiously fixing his bow-tie in front of a mirror, unable to get rid of the impression that it didn't really look good. He was never particularly fond of formal clothes, and his parents weren't home, so he couldn't even ask for help...

At least they wished him good luck before leaving. They remembered that he had an important business party that day, so it wasn't that bad... but in the end, it were Mioda's parents that were supposed to give them a lift, and he was waiting for her now.

He was a little worried about what she decided to wear, as she couldn't really be trusted when it comes to clothes. Even her school uniform looked a lot different from the default one, and teachers already stopped trying to persuade her to change it back...

Finally he heard pounding on the door. Not knocking. Pounding. He was surprised that she never tried to break into his house yet, because he was sure she was capable of it.

“Hello, Hajime-chan! Ibuki can already tell that you look fantastic, you’re going to be the star tonight!” She exclaimed with a wide smile when he opened the door.

“With you looking like that, I’m not really sure,” he muttered, scanning her carefully. He was right about not trusting her, as her dress couldn’t really be called formal. He had a very faint idea about girls’ clothes, but it looked like some bizarre combination of a short-sleeved kimono and lots of frills. Not that it didn’t suit her.

"You sew it yourself, am I right?"

"Bingo! There's no way Ibuki would find something that expresses her well enough in a shop."

"I don't think it's suitable for a party like this..."

"It's fine, it's fine! Hiyoko-chan also said nobody's going to stop her from wearing a kimono, so there's no problem," she laughed.

"Even if you don't see a problem, it doesn't mean there isn't one," he sighed.

"Oww Hajime-chan, you should stop complaining so much. Anyway, let's hurry, Ibuki doesn't want to be late. And neither does Hajime-chan, right?" She asked. "We're finally going to achieve our goal from the very beginning!"

"You mean meeting actors from the first cast...?" Hinata made sure.

"Of course!"

 

_"So, Yukizome-san, in the end, who's going to appear at the party?" Souda asked their director._

_"Hmm... I know you all want to meet the previous cast, but sadly, I'm sure that not all of them are going to appear, even though they are all invited,” she replied._

_“Eh? Why?” Saionji seemed disappointed._

_“Fukawa-san said that since she doesn’t appear in the show, she’s not going to come to the party either,” Yukizome explained. “I think a lot of them thinks this way, even though they didn’t want to say it out loud.”_

_“Then who’s going to come?” Kuzuryuu repeated the question._

_“The reappearing members of the cast pretty much have to come, so… Naegi-kun, Kirigiri-san, Togami-san are guaranteed to appear,” she said._

_“What about Enoshima-san…?” Komaeda asked hesitantly. Hinata could easily see that the thought of meeting that girl again was making him extremely uneasy._

_“In theory she also has to come… But knowing her, she won’t,” Yukizome sighed. “Maybe it’s better this way.”_

_“It certainly is.” Komaeda breathed out in relief. How terrible of a person Junko Enoshima had to be to made him hate her so much…?_

_“Chihiro is also going to come,” Nanami spoke up. “He only voices Alter Ego in SDR2, but it still counts. I think… Oowada-kun and Ishimaru-kun are also going to come… since they’re basically inseparable.”_

_“L-Like you, Hinata-san and Komaeda-san?” Tsumiki asked shyly, and Nanami nodded._

_“Oooh, that’s great!” Nidai exclaimed. “They seem like interesting young people!”_

_“I’ll be disappointed if Sakura Oogami doesn’t turn up though…” Owari added._

_“When it comes to us, add Sato-san and Natsumi-san to the sixteen of you and we’ll have the full squad,” Yukizome concluded._

_“Thanks god she already ended the war with Koizumi…” Kuzuryuu sighed in relief. “Now we can enjoy our lives in peace.”_

_“_ So… Are you ready, Hajime-chan?” Mioda asked, raising her hand to do a high five with him.

“Or course,” Hinata replied, returning her gesture. First they had to go through the formal part of the event, and he could already feel nervousness at the back of his mind, but then they were free to meet their idols. A few months ago that would be the case of his uneasiness, but without even realizing that, he gained a lot of confidence.

***

“Hinata-kun! Mioda-san!” Nanami ran up to them when they entered a spacious hall of the building they were supposed to appear at. It looked like she was waiting for them… and while Mioda was looking more like someone performing at a rock concert, Nanami actually took this seriously. She was wearing a white, sleeveless dress, ending just a little above her knee. To his surprise, she had her hair put up in a bun and even seemed to wear makeup, which she, aside from when they were filming, never did.

“Wow,” he muttered to himself.

“Chiaki-chan looks so pretty!” Mioda said out loud the same thing he was thinking.

“Thank you, Mioda-san,” she replied with a smile. “You also look great. And you too, Hinata-kun.”

“Thanks…” He mumbled, not used to getting compliments about his appearance.

“Chiaki-chan, turn around!” Mioda commanded, touching the folds of while fabric on Nanami’s skirt. “But not too fast, so nobody can see your panties.”

“Do you even have any shame?” Hinata asked, but Nanami already complied, slowly spinning around, making the dress spin with her.

“Ahh so cute!” Mioda exclaimed.

“Wait, something seems off,” Hinata spoke up. “You seem… a little different than usual.”

“Me?” Nanami pointed at herself.

“Yeah, you. You talk without pauses.”

“Ah, you mean that.” Nanami nodded. “My sister made me go to sleep early, so my brain is functioning properly today.”

“Wait, you mean it normally isn’t!?”

She gave him another nod.  “Yhm. Though me getting enough sleep is pretty rare…”

“I doubt I would achieve anything if I tried to convince you to change that...”

“That’s the Super High School Level Gamer for you!” Mioda concluded.

“Hello, everyone!” Another voice resounded in the hall. “I intended to be early for once, but it looks like you still managed to get here before me…”

Hinata turned to Komaeda to greet him, but he froze the moment he saw him.

Komaeda was good-looking. He really was, and Hinata never tried to deny it, as he noticed it pretty soon after meeting him.

But he forgot that he was going to see him wearing a tuxedo, which made the level of his attractiveness go even higher up. He really was in too deep.

But holy shit, he even had his hair tied back into a low ponytail. It was ridiculous, no one could look this good.

“Are you okay, Hinata-kun?” Nanami asked him.

“I am,” he whispered flatly. “I just saw someone really beautiful.”

“I assume that it’s not me…”

“You’re also beautiful. I’m just not in love with you.”

“Is anything wrong?” Komaeda gave them a smile when he came closer, and Hinata could feel his heart skip a beat.

“Absolutely nothing,” he replied.

“Why are you staring at me like this? Oh, I must look weird in these clothes, am I right? There’s no way it would suit me…” He started, but Hinata interrupted him.

“No, no, it actually does…” He said, but suddenly got embarrassed. “I-I mean, it’s not that it looks bad, okay?”

“Y-You really think so?” Surprisingly, Komaeda realized he meant it as a compliment, and Hinata could swear he blushed a little.

To avoid looking directly at him he glanced at Nanami, only to realize she was staring at them with a knowing look on her face. She really looked as if she knew everything. What did she know. And how.

“Hey, is that…” Mioda started, looking at someone behind Komaeda. Only now did Hinata realize he didn’t come alone and someone familiar-looking followed him.

“Huh?” Komaeda finally looked away from him. “Ah, you all already know who he is, but let me introduce him. It’s my cousin, Makoto.”

“Hello…” Naegi said, in the same friendly tone Hinata remembered. The younger boy for a moment looked at him hesitantly, but then turned to the overexcited Mioda. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about all of you from Nagito…”

“Holy cow, it’s Makoto-chan!” She yelled, her eyes basically sparkling. “Ibuki can’t believe!”

_Okay, now play it cool, Hajime. It’s the first time you meet him. Don’t let Komaeda think otherwise._

“…is is acceptable to ask for an autograph?” He asked, recalling their first meeting. It seemed like a long time ago…

“Right, Ibuki wants one too!”

“I don’t really have anything to write with on me,” he said awkwardly. “And I don’t find myself special enough to be handing out autographs…”

“It sounds like something Komaeda would say,” Hinata stated.

“Really…?” They replied at the same time, making him laugh.

“Seeing you at the same time is kind of strange,” Nanami muttered.

“They’re more similar than you’d expect, right?”

“And at the same time not exactly…”

“Amazing…” Mioda commented.

“Please, stop it,” Komaeda said.

“Are you worried we’ll bring you shame?” Nanami asked him, then looked at Naegi. “He probably told you that we’re all so great… When we’re actually…”

“A bunch of losers,” Mioda finished her sentence.

“It can’t be that bad…” Naegi said, smiling awkwardly. “I’m sure you’re all fun to be around…”

“But Ibuki still can’t believe it’s the real Makoto Naegi… He’s shorter than Ibuki thought.”

After the comment about his height, the younger boy immediately flushed red.

“I-I still have time to grow taller. Look, Nagito is so tall, I’m sure I’ll grow too…”

“So you were here!” Yukizome’s voice reached their ears, as she walked down the hall and stopped in front of them. “Hello, Naegi-kun!”

“Good evening, Yukizome-san,” he replied. “We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“Right? I was sure you’re going to visit Komaeda-kun as often as he visited you, but I was wrong.”

“I knew he’s doing alright, so I didn’t want to interrupt anything with my presence.”

“I’m sure everyone would be happy if you visited,” Komaeda stated.

“Really? Then I’ll consider it.”

“I can’t see Kirigiri-san and Togami-kun anywhere,” Yukizome said while looking around. “What about them?”

“Togami-kun is probably going to be fashionably late,” Naegi laughed. “And Kyouko is going to come with Sayaka…”

“Yaaay, Sayaka-chan is going to come! We’ll see Sayaka-chan once again!” Mioda yelled happily.

“But you’ll have to wait for that,” Yukizome said. “Now you’ll have to come with me. Sorry, Naegi-kun, but this time they’re the stars of the evening.”

“I understand.” Naegi nodded. “Have fun, Nagito.”

“Yhm…” Suddenly Komaeda became tense and looked much more nervous. So even he was a little stressed about meeting so many important people and actually having to behave himself. "I feel pretty out of place here..."

"You'll be fine," Hinata said, placing his hand on his shoulder. "We're all here and we'll support you if you need it."

"See ya later, Makoto-chan!" Mioda shouted while trying to walk backwards so she could stare at him longer.

"Yeah. Let's talk some more later," he replied, looking at Hinata again, as if signaling that he was talking to him, then glancing at his cousin, whose shoulder Hinata was still touching.

"Come on, Komaeda, we'll bother Naegi later," he sighed, knowing well enough what that look meant. He wasn't ready for a talk with his family. Though... didn't he already go through this?

"He seems awfully interested in you,” his friend muttered. So he noticed. Goddammit.

“Ehm… Maybe because I’m in a similar situation as him before?”

“But usually he isn’t as open about it…” Komaeda continued, as if trying to connect the dots, but then he suddenly gave up. “Oh well. I’m glad that you seem to get along. You know… You’re the most important people to me.”

Hinata didn’t even know how he should reply to that. It sounded so genuine, and…

He was just happy to hear Komaeda speak about him with such affection in his voice. It was soothing his nerves.

***

And so, after the eighteen of them had gathered, Yukizome threw them between strangers.

She, of course, didn’t do it without giving them instructions how they should behave and how to answer the questions, but… All these people had introduced themselves, and knowing who they were it was still nerve-wrecking. Add this to the music played in the background, and also the design of the huge room… Hinata could easily tell that it was the most serious party he’d ever been to. Nanami was probably the calmest person out of the three of them, but what else is new.

After some time they noticed Yukizome waving at them, encouraging them to come closer. She was standing with two men, and, not without amusement, Hinata noticed that their clothes in some way matched. He had never met them before, but he was pretty sure he knew who they were.

"I wanted to introduce you to someone in person," she said when they came closer. "Meet the representatives of one of the companies that sponsors us... as well as my good friends, Kyousuke Munakata and Juuzo Sakakura."

The silver-haired guy appeared to be Munakata, and the other, with dark hair - Sakakura. They seemed to be total opposites, as the first one smiled when Yukizome introduced him, and Sakakura just gave them a quiet 'tch', making Hinata wonder whether he really didn't want to be here that much, or it was simply his personality.

"Good evening," Nanami said, taking the role of their representative, just as Yukizome did with her friends. "It's really nice to meet you. Yukizome-san talks about you from time to time."

"Knowing her, we can't be sure what she's told you," Sakakura sighed.

"Oh, she just told us about some of your adventures when you were students, nothing too extreme," Komaeda replied, probably a little too carefreely.

"That could be a problem," Munakata said with concern.

"Why? You were the student council president, always a model student," Yukizome stated.

"But Juuzo was not..."

"Are you guys having fun, making a fool out of me in front of Chisa's brats?"

"Hey, Juuzo, don't call them like that after I gave them a lecture about good manners. You're wasting my efforts," Yukizome pointed out.

Hinata almost laughed at them, but Sakakura's angry frown stopped him from doing so. They seemed like a fun trio, but he wouldn’t want to get on that guy’s bad side. He looked like someone who would be able to send him flying with one punch.

“Anyway,” Munakata said, putting an end to their jokes. “If we decide to believe Chisa, you are all giving your all. Good work.”

“You sounded as if you didn’t find me trustworthy…”

“Sorry if you got an impression like this,” he replied, then turned to them again. “I hope Chisa isn’t pushing you too hard. You still have your responsibilities as students.”

“I think we’re all doing fine,” Hinata spoke up. “Yukizome-san is actually really considerate when it comes to our schedule…”

“This time I was better prepared than the last time,” she sighed.

"Only because Kyousuke helped you plan everything..."

"You act so shy now, but sometimes you help me too." Yukizome smiled at her friend.

"I'm not s...

"Anyway, I only wanted to introduce my beloved pupils to my friends. They're not the people to torment you with questions like the others, since I give them reports all the time and they know everything they wanted to know."

"And even things we didn't want to know..." Sakakura sighed, turning away from them. "Keep up the good work, kids."

"Good luck. You are the main characters, which means the biggest amount of responsibilities, but I believe you can handle it." As expected, Munakata's words seemed kinder and more polite.

"He seems so nice,” Nanami said after the two of them left them alone. “No wonder you like him so much, Yukizome-san…”

“E-Eh? Of course I like him...” The woman stated, blushing a little. “I think it would be weirder if I didn’t? And it’s not like I’m the only one… A-anyway, I better go after them!”

“Sometimes she’s… surprisingly cute,” Nanami added when Yukizome turned away from them to catch up to her friends, unexpectedly fast for a person wearing high heels. 

“Hey, usually you seem blind to other people’s love life. What happened?” Hinata asked her with a frown. The girl just smiled at him.

“I got enough sleep and my eyes have opened. Oh, look, Chihiro’s here. Let’s go and say hello…”

Komaeda just shrugged and followed her. Hinata tried to do the same, but someone stopped him.

“Hinata-kun,” Naegi called out to him, drawing his attention away from the other two. When he turned to him he noticed that he’s not alone.

Naegi was accompanied by two teenagers around their age, and Hinata had no doubts about who they were. The blonde glasses-wearing guy just had to be Byakuya Togami, and the girl with lavender hair, wearing a black dress – Kyouko Kirigiri. For a moment he froze. He could act casually around Naegi because they’d met before and got to chat about a lot of things, but to him the other two were still strangers, and in addition idols.

“Hello,” Kirigiri said with a slight smile, which didn’t really do much to make her seem less serious.

“Good evening…” he managed to mutter.

“Looks like we’ve made too big of an impression,” Togami stated with a smirk.

“Come now, Togami-kun. It’s the first time he meets you,” Naegi said.

“Does it change anything? He needs to learn that his ‘fan attitude’ won’t do him any good,” he replied.

“I must agree.” Kirigiri nodded. “Right now, we’re equals.”

“I know about it. It’s just a first instinct, ignore it,” he sighed. “And I can’t really do anything about the fact that I respect you… That aside, nice to meet you.”

“Hmh. I hope you won’t bring shame upon the series we’ve put so much effort in.” Hinata didn’t really like Togami’s attitude, but since Naegi let him be, he probably didn’t mean anything bad.

“I hope so too,” he muttered.

“I’m sure you won’t,” Kirigiri said unexpectedly. “I think we can trust Yukizome-san’s judgment. Also… We were amateurs too. There can’t be a big difference between two groups of talented amateurs.”

Kirigiri in turn was making an impression of someone rather aloof, but at the same time still nicer than Togami. Well, she was Naegi’s girlfriend. Hinata doubted someone like him would fall in love with someone who isn’t a good person.

"I won't argue with that. We've been working on this adaptation for a few months now, so I know we're not half bad," Hinata said. "Watch out or we'll steal your popularity."

"Then we'll appear at the end and take it back," Togami exclaimed.

"You can try, but who knows if you'll succeed."

"I have no intention of fighting for popularity," Kirigiri stated calmly. "If Nanami-san surpasses me, then good for her. Though I think Komaeda-kun has the potential to steal your fans, Togami-kun."

"And Hinata-kun too..." Naegi sighed. "Yokohama already seems to be the more popular protagonist here…”

“But it’s Kanata who’s the real hero,” she said, giving him a smile softer than Hinata would’ve expected from her… Though it should’ve been obvious that she had a soft spot for him, despite being so serious.

Suddenly he felt a bit jealous. He knew he was special to Komaeda, he told him about it himself… But a more solid confirmation would be nice.

“Ah, right. Naegi said before that you’re going to come here with Maizono.” Hinata turned to Kirigiri. “Is she here?”

“Yes, though… I’m sure I saw her with one of the girls from your group. That one with multi-colored hair… Her name is Mioda-san, am I right?” She asked, looking around in order to find them.

“Then I’ll wait with saying hello,” he muttered. “Mioda is unstoppable.”

“I haven’t talked to her yet…” Kirigiri said. “Maybe I’ll try.”

“Good luck. I think you’ll really need it.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she replied, brushing her lavender hair aside. “I have luck on my side.”

And so, she walked in Mioda and Maizono’s direction.

“Why are the two of you like this,” Togami mumbled, but followed her, leaving Naegi and Hinata alone.

“Was she… talking about me?” Naegi pointed at himself, processing her words, then blushing.

“I think so.” Hinata nodded. “Though you’re lucky too. She’s beautiful.”

“I know,” he confirmed sheepishly, finally looking away from her. “Hinata-kun…”

“Don’t worry, she’s not my type. I’m not going to hit on her.”

“I know that too,” Naegi laughed. “You looked much more mesmerized when you saw Nagito earlier.”

Too obvious. He was much too obvious. Everyone kept telling him so, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

“…I can’t deny it.”

“So I was right,” Naegi said. “Well, not that I have anything against you. It’s the opposite, to be honest. So… as long as Nagito is happy, I’ll support you.”

“W-what are you talking about? We’re n-not…”

“But you like him, right?”

“…I do.”

“Then take good care of him,” he stated with a smile.

“Haven’t I already promised to do it?”

“Right, sorry.”

“So that’s where you were, Hinata-kun.”

He almost jumped when he heard Komaeda’s voice behind them. He really hoped his conversation with Naegi stayed unheard. Actually, he would probably be in trouble if it was heard. Like, Komaeda would discover that he and Naegi knew each other before…

“I knew you’d get along,” Komaeda stated, nothing betraying that he’d heard. But who knows if that was the truth, he was good at pretending. “Sorry to interrupt you, but Nanami-san wanted to introduce Hinata-kun to Fujisaki-kun.”

“It’s my fault for stopping him. Sorry,” Naegi laughed, but soon became more serious. “You look tired, Nagito. Are you okay?”

“I am,” he replied immediately. “I’m just not fit for places like this, aside from that I’m fine.”

“If you say so…” Naegi didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, you should join Nanami-san. If Ishimaru-kun is with them you shouldn’t make them wait.”

“True. Come on, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda grabbed his hand and pulled him somewhere. “Ishimaru-kun is quite a strict person, so it better not to disappoint him.”

Hinata managed to only nod Naegi a goodbye before he lost sight of him.

“You’re late!”

“E-Eh?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself! You’re late!” A dark-haired boy with quite impressing eyebrows exclaimed, pointing at him.

“You did repeat yourself though…” Another one, this time with an impressing haircut, muttered.

"Come now, forgive him, Ishimaru-kun,” a third person said. “It’s not like he knew that we want to introduce ourselves…”

Nanami in turn looked as if she didn’t know what she should say.

“Ehm…” She finally spoke up. “Since you’re here… I can introduce you, I think. So, Chihiro… this is Hajime Hinata, my friend.”

“Hello.” A short boy, even shorter than Naegi and Kuzuryuu, extended his hand to him with a bright smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Chiaki, so it’s nice to meet you in person. I’m Chihiro Fujisaki.”

There was something similar to Nanami about him, but the resemblance wasn’t as striking as in Naegi and Komaeda’s case.

“She also talks about you.” Hinata squeezed his hand gently, trying to keep his cool this time. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s weird to say our names when you all know who we are…” Mondo Oowada stated.

“It’s a matter of good manners! I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru!” The last boy said firmly.

“H-Hello…”

“Straighten your back, Hinata-kun! You’re the protagonist, you need to be a good role model! You too, Komaeda-kun!”

Despite his confusion, Hinata complied and gave his friends a glance that he hoped looked like begging for answers. If Nanami understood, she didn’t show that, and Komaeda only smiled, like almost always when he didn’t know what to do.

“Leave them alone, brother,” Oowada sighed. “Look, they’re scared.”

“Not exactly…” Hinata tried to explain, but Oowada gave him a glare that made him shut up.

“You want to say something?”

“N-nothing…” He muttered, then turned to Komaeda and lowered his voice. “He's younger than us, but much more scary…”

“You think so? I would say he’s quite a nice person…”

He almost asked what exactly makes a ‘nice person’ for him, but he gave up.

“So Enoshima-san really didn’t come…” Fujisaki spoke up suddenly.

“Good. You can never tell what that chick is thinking,” Oowada commented.

“But it was her duty to come! She has no respect for her employers!” Ishimaru said with a frown.

“I think it’s better that she’s not here though,” Komaeda stated.

“If I remember correctly, you met her once, and you didn’t get along…” Fujisaki said shyly.

“You could say that.”

“Let’s don’t talk about unpleasant things…” Nanami spoke up. “We should enjoy the party… I think we’re free now, so… Will you dance with me, Chihiro?”

“Eh? But I’m so short compared to you… We’ll look funny…”

“Hey, Fujisaki-kun, look there.” Komaeda pointed at Naegi, shyly asking Kirigiri for a dance. “How do you think, is there a bigger height difference between them than between you and Nanami-san?”

For a moment, he looked as if he tried to figure it out. “Maybe the difference is a bit smaller between them… But I don’t think anyone will pay attention to us, so… Chiaki?”

The girl took his hand with a smile. “With pleasure.”

***

To no one’s surprise, the couple that seemed to fit here the most turned out to be Sonia and Tanaka. With him, forced to take off his weird clothes, and Sonia, dressed like a real princess, they really looked like some kind of a royal couple, gracefully moving around the dance floor. They were much more impressive than any other pair that decided to dance… But well, the other ones were Naegi and Kirigiri, Fujisaki and Nanami, and some other people from outside of their group… No, actually there was one more. Hanamura managed to ask Maizono to dance with him, and to everyone’s surprise, she agreed. She didn’t look very happy about it though.

“Hajime-chan, just look-“

“I know, Mioda, your otp is beautiful. Stop staring at Naegi and Kirigiri.”

“But Ibuki is unable to stop! Shippers are unstoppable!” Mioda exclaimed when some of them were standing together near to the terrace door.

“You’re creepy. Just stop.”

“Hajime-chan is no fun…” She muttered, making a sad face. “Then… Kazuichi-chan!”

“Me? What do you want?” Souda actually seemed a bit scared, but she just smiled innocently and grabbed his hands.

“You dance with Ibuki!”

“E-Eh? But I can’t dance!”

“You think Ibuki can? We’re going to look like idiots together!”

“No, no, no, I definitely don’t want to look like an idiot. If I were to dance with anyone, they would have to be as skilled as Sonia-san!”

But it was already too late for him. Mioda was quite strong for such a petite girl, and she already managed to drag him to the dance floor with her. Meanwhile Yukizome somehow managed to convince Munakata to dance with her too… Or maybe he asked her himself? It was unclear what kind of relationship they had…

“Just ask Pekoyama. I know you want to do it,” Hinata sighed, glancing at Kuzuryuu.

“She’s busy making sure Natsumi doesn’t get into a fight with Sato. Just look at them,” he replied.

Well, he was right. A group of four girls was standing a few meters away from them. Two of them, Natsumi and Sato, seemed to be on the verge of snapping at each other, while Koizumi and Pekoyama were just smiling in embarrassment.

“We’ll take care of this,” Saionji exclaimed. “Right, Tsumiki?”

“Y-You mean us? H-How?”

“What do you mean ‘how’, stupid? We’re going to somehow keep them busy enough so they can’t fight! We’re not going to do anything that would bring us shame!” She explained with a frown, as if Tsumiki suggested arguing with Natsumi in person. “Don’t worry, big bro Kuzuryuu, we’ve got this covered!”

“I don’t trust you. I don’t trust you at all.”

“What did you…”

“But I’ll take the risk. Thanks, Saionji,” he said, not even looking at her, as if saying ‘thank you’ hurt his pride.

“Okay, I gotta do my best!” She said, and followed him. “Move your butt, Tsumiki, I need to have someone I can put the blame on if something goes wrong!”

“F-Fine…”

“She’s still mean to her, but… It seems to have a different meaning,” Hinata muttered to Komaeda, as they ended up alone again.

“Yhm… You’re right…”

“You really look tired. Or maybe bored?”

“It’s neither.” Komaeda shook his head.

“Then what is it?”

“I just… I said it before, I feel out of place here. I shouldn’t be here. I have a feeling that everyone would have more fun if I weren’t around…” He said, faking a cheerful tone.  “I don’t deserve to be here…”

“Stop. That’s a wrong way of thinking,” Hinata interrupted him.

“But I can’t help it!”

He could only sigh. “Want to get some fresh air? The door is open.”

Komaeda looked around, then nodded, so Hinata just grabbed his hand and pulled him outside.

The night was pretty cold, but the chilly air felt really refreshing. Suddenly he realized just how tired he was himself… He leaned against the railing, taking a deep breath.

“Sorry for being a trouble again,” Komaeda said, standing next to him.

“It’s okay. I think I needed a break from that atmosphere too. I’m too ordinary for that,” he muttered in response. “Though some of us really seem to have fun here.”

“For example Sonia-san. Mitarai-kun and Togami-kun also seem to be enjoying themselves,” Komaeda laughed. “But I think I feel better here. The night is rather nice. You can see all the stars from here…”

“It’s true.” Hinata looked up, surprised. “I thought it was supposed to rain today…”

“So I’m lucky again,” Komaeda concluded.

“Your luck works in a mysterious way.”

He turned in the direction of the door again, so he would be able to see what’s happening inside. To his amusement, Mioda and Souda were directly in front of him, so he could see her laughing every time they stumbled. She looked like she was having fun…

 _Good for her,_ he thought.

“We really have a lot of short guys here,” he said randomly. “Or maybe a lot of tall girls?”

“I think both are correct?” Komaeda wondered. “Though we probably are some of the taller boys here.”

“At least taller than the girls. We could dance with them without looking funny.”

“True.” He nodded. “But if I had to dance with someone, I would probably choose you, even though we’re the same height.”

“M-Me?” Hinata tried to imagine this and it was a surprisingly pleasing image.

“Yhm. It’s a shame we can’t do this,” the other boy laughed.

“Who said we can’t?” He said without thinking much. “We’re alone here. I doubt anyone could see us from the inside.”

“…are you serious?” Komaeda asked after like half a minute of silence. It was pretty dark outside, but Hinata could swear they both were blushing furiously.

“I am. Don’t make me regret saying this,” he muttered, extending his hand to him. “Do you want to do this or not?”

“… I want…” His friend said quietly, accepting his hand and moving closer, so he could put his other hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “Though I should warn you that I’m not particularly good at this…”

He didn’t even know how to describe what it felt like. They were basically embracing each other, so close that he would have no trouble kissing him if he wanted to do that. It was embarrassing as hell, but he tried not to avoid his eyes, as they shyly began to sway around their improvised dance floor.

Hinata was sure he was going to remember that night for years.

“We can barely hear the music here…” Komaeda muttered, probably in order to forget about his own embarrassment.

“Then sing something.”

“You’re not joking?”

“Of course I’m not. You’re the one good at singing here.”

“If you say so, then I won’t decline,” he said, closing his eyes and thinking for a second before he opened his mouth again.

 

_My back is pressed by the darkening glow of dusk  
I start walking toward where my shadow points_

_Repeating the many, ceaseless encounters and partings  
Where do I head to?_

_For all people, while they are lost, they bear the fate known as sin  
Nevertheless, I’ll still learning of the meaning of living, right?_

_That’s right, day by day, we’re midway on the road leading to tomorrow  
Now say it again, if only I could remain together with you…_

 

“That was beautiful…” Hinata said honestly when Komaeda fell silent.

“It was only some anime song. I chose the first one that came to my mind…” He replied.

“I guess I would be cool with anything, as long as it’s you who’s singing.”

After this statement Komaeda let go of his hand and just straight-up threw his arms around his neck and hugged him.

“E-Eh? Komaeda…?”

“Can I stay like this for a moment…?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Is something wrong?”

“Can I?”

Hinata could barely hear the question, as if the other was scared to ask.

As if he would push him away.

As if he didn’t want to do the same thing since a long time ago.

So… He just move his arms to close them around him in a tight embrace.

“You can. Of course you can.”

“Thank you. I… I…”

“Hmm? What do you want to say?”

“…nothing. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Don’t force yourself.”

That night just couldn’t get better.

Because… Now he was completely sure his feelings were mutual, and it made him happier than anything ever.

He just had to wait a bit longer.

***

“I made a mistake when I decided to wear these new shoes today,” Chisa sighed, approaching one of the tables and sitting down next to Juuzo. “But I couldn’t miss the opportunity to dance with Kyousuke…”

“Of course. I would never expect anything else from you.”

“Why do you seem so annoyed? Could it be that you want to dance with me too?” She tried teasing him, seeing his irritated face.

“In your dreams.”

“Or maybe you want to dance with Kyousuke? Should I ask him for you?”

“Stop. Just… stop.” He let out a heavy sigh.

“You’re no fun,” she commented, glancing towards the door leading to a terrace. “There are kids that have more courage than you.”

“It’s none of your business, Chisa.”

“I’m just doing this out of love,” she laughed, but decided not to annoy him further. She actually preferred him when he was in good mood.

“Are you bickering again?”

Both of them looked up to see the man they both loved, and they both smiled without even realizing it.

“We’re just enjoying how nice of a night it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter seemes a little half-assed, it's just... I'm pretty sure that during the last two weeks I've died and came back to life at least a few time. I didn't expect myself to be this tired and busy... I think that the two-weeks breaks may get more frequent now ;;;
> 
> But thank you guys for all the comments and kudos this fic gets, I love you!! 
> 
> Also, look, there's another wonderful sketch based on a scene from the previous chapter!! Ahh I love it so much  
> https://twitter.com/ChromeXVII/status/815692484542087168


	21. The good you do comes back to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, that SDR2.5 OVA gave me more than I've expected. I'm almost as happy about it as I was about the Hope Arc
> 
> This is kind of a filler chapter, but I needed it so I can go with what I have planned next. I hope it's not that bad~

“So, there’s that really big tree in our backyard. Who knows how old it is, it’s just huge. When we were kids we used to climb it quite often, but big brother was a crybaby back then, and there was always a problem how to get him down. Can you believe it? He could climb all the way up to the top of that free, but had no idea how to get back to the ground. I think it’s hilarious! I used to leave him there until he got really desperate and called our parents for help.”

“That’s… kind of cruel…”

“You’re exaggerating things, Hajime-chan!”

“Eh? It was his own fault for not thinking before climbing up there. And it all ended after we befriended Peko, since she never listened to me and always helped him get back down before it seriously hurt his pride. Teasing him became a lot more difficult with her around,” Natsumi sighed after finishing telling another one of her stories.

“Is that a surprise to you?” Hinata asked. “What are you even doing here?!”

“Me? I just came to visit, that’s all.” To his surprise, she laughed cheerfully. He’d never seen her in such a good mood before.

Well, _before_ she was always arguing with someone. Now neither Koizumi, nor Sato were here. Only Saionji, but she went somewhere with Sonia.

“Peko forbade me from making lunch for big brother today, since she wanted to do it herself,” the blonde girl sighed. “I came here with her so she could give it to him.”

“Oh… It makes sense now,” Nanami said, leaning over a table in the café with a game console in her hands. It looked like their daily lives had returned.

“I decided to let them have some time alone and bother Hinata.” Natsumi grinned at him. “That’s what you get for sticking your nose into my business.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered, earning a giggle from Komaeda. Hinata barely held himself back from telling him that it was partially his fault.

“Stop complaining.” She frowned. “Look, I couldn’t make lunch for big brother, so I decided to make one for you. You k-know… as a thank you for back then.”

“What did Hajime-chan do? What did he do?!” Mioda asked enthusiastically, leaning on Natsumi’s shoulder. “Tell Ibuki!”

“He just made me realize something,” she replied vaguely, pulling a lunchbox out of her bag and placing it on Hinata’s table. “Here, eat it.”

He and Komaeda looked at it with eyes full of doubts. Even Nanami looked up from her game and stared at the box in silence.

“Is it just me, or do you look scared?” Natsumi asked.

“Me? Scared? As if,” he said, hesitantly reaching for the box to open it.

Its content looked… rather normal.

“What is it!? Do you really trust me that little?!” She yelled, slowly losing her patience after they let out a relieved sigh. She was just like her brother…

“Kuzuryuu-kun already told us that cooking is not your strong point…” Komaeda explained.

“That ungrateful asshole…” She muttered. Hinata was honestly shocked that the girl who started crying in front of him, because she felt ignored by her brother, now called him like that, but… Maybe that’s what siblings are like?

“Okay… I’ll have a bite…” He said, still not sure about it, but…

“Wait, let me do it first.” Komaeda stopped him, then reached for the box and chopsticks.

“What are you, Nagito-chan, a food taster!?” Mioda began laughing at that idea.

“It’s not poisoned!”

“I guess not…” Komaeda stated after a moment. “I’m still alive... Though…”

“Like I thought…?” Hinata asked, and the other nodded, giving him quite a pitiful smile.

"Want to try it? It would be rude not to appreciate Natsumi-san's effort," Komaeda asked, obviously teasing him. He picked something from the box and raised his hand to Hinata's mouth. 

"Are you sure it's not a poison with a delayed effect?"

"It's not that bad, Hinata-kun," he laughed. "Say 'aaa'."

"In your dreams," he muttered, eating it anyway.

"Maybe, " Komaeda chuckled. "And how was it?"

"...do I really have to say it?"

“An indirect kiss,” Nanami muttered, not even looking at them, but certainly aware of how fast both of them turned red. They did it without thinking, it seemed natural, but when she put it that way…

“HOLY DAMN-“

“Quit your married couple bullshit,” Natsumi snarked. “You’re all terrible-“

“Hey… It’s actually not bad,” Nanami spoke up again, also taking something from the box. “I like it…”

“Really?” Three people asked at the same time – one hopeful, the other two expressing doubts.

“It’s better than anything I’ve ever managed to cook…”

“Komaeda, take a note again. We’re really never letting her into the kitchen.”

“Noted, Hinata-kun,” he laughed. “You don’t even look disappointed, Nanami-san…”

“I just know it’s for the best. Hinata-kun is going to cook.”

“Actually…” He started awkwardly. “We should let Mioda do it.”

Said girl didn’t look surprised in the slightest. “Good choice, Hajime-chan. Let the Great Ibuki handle it.”

“She’s actually really good at it,” Hinata explained to the rest. “She may look incompetent, but when she puts thought in what she’s doing, she usually succeeds.”

“You see? Ibuki is… Wait, who are you calling incompetent?!”

“Putting that aside… Want to stay and watch us practice, Natsumi?” He asked her. “As long as you don’t provoke Saionji, it should be fine.”

“Who cares about that brat.” She shrugged. “I’m not even going to talk to her, so chill. Anyway, are your breaks always this long?”

“Usually not,” Komaeda replied. “Only when Yukizome-san wants to practice with someone individually.”

“So far it only happened to you,” Hinata reminded him.

“Not only,” Nanami spoke up, suddenly frowning at the game she was playing. “Oh, I’ve died… Anyway… I talked with Yukizome-san earlier… and she said we’re going to practice the third trial without Tsumiki-san, just like when we practiced the first one without Komaeda-kun…”

"Ehh? Not fair!" Mioda whined. "Ibuki wanted to see Mikan-chan's brilliant acting during rehearsals, in case she can't come and watch the actual filming!"

“Why wouldn’t you be able to come?” Hinata asked, and she immediately became gloomy and leaned on the table.

“Ibuki’s character dies during the chapter, doesn’t Hajime-chan remember?” She muttered. “But even though she’s going to die by Mikan-chan’s character’s hands, she still wants to see her acting during the trial… It’s going to be awesome…”

“That’s… kind of true.” Nanami nodded. “I wouldn’t want to miss it either…”

"This is... going to be pretty intense," Komaeda stated with an uneasy expression, and Hinata immediately realized why. Komaeda reacted badly to some scenes before...

There was that conflict between Komaeda and Tsumiki's characters... And Komaeda generally had a much bigger role in chapter three than in the second one, so... For Hinata it was time to prepare himself for dealing with any effects it'd have on him... since there's a chance it really would happen.

But he kind of signed up for this sort of work when falling in love with him, so he wasn’t going to complain.

"Tell me which trial isn't intense in this game, Nagito-chan," Mioda said, unaware of the things they both were thinking.

"With every trial, it only gets worse..." Nanami sighed. "We'll make sure to shoot this one with you around, Mioda-san."

"Yaaay! Well, Ibuki doesn't think Chisa-chan would do it behind her back, but thanks anyway... Though Ibuki is still sad it's the end for her..." She muttered, but then clenched her fists and smiled widely again. "No, it's no end! Ibuki's going to keep on annoying everyone to the point when you're not going to be able to live without her!"

"For example who?"

That's when the door opened and Souda appeared in the room, as if someone had directed this scene so he would enter the café at this exact moment.

"Hey, Yukizome-san says that-"

"Him," Mioda concluded, pointing at the pink-haired boy without much hesitation and making it obvious (at least to Hinata) that she liked him.

Not that he hadn’t noticed it earlier, Mioda was dropping quite a lot of hints, and usually anyone could read her like an open book anyway. It was just the way she was – an honest and open person, not ashamed of her feelings.

He had no idea whether someone like her would be a good match for Souda. In contrast to her, he probably should try to be more honest with himself… But despite all, something just seemed to click between them.

“Eh? Why are you pointing at me? What happened?” Souda gave them a confused look, but no one seemed eager to explain it to him.

***

After the six of them returned to the restaurant room Saionji kept staring at Natsumi warily, but said nothing. Hinata soon came to a conclusion that she’s not going to do anything because Koizumi wasn’t there. Thanks god, the peace would be sustained.

Pekoyama also decided to stay with them, but that was no surprise.

“How was your rehearsal, Tsumiki-san?” Komaeda asked the purple-haired girl when she entered the room with Yukizome. She looked a little tired…

“I-It was fine.” Tsumiki gave him a half-hearted smile. “Though I s-still have a lot to learn…”

“No need to be so shy, Tsumiki-san!” Yukizome placed her hand on Tsumiki’s head and stroked her hair. “She’s really amazing! I’m sure you’re going to be as surprised as when you first saw Komaeda-kun’s acting.”

Said girl turned completely red after hearing the compliment and couldn’t even force herself to form a response.

“Okay, let’s see… Want to go through that scene with Ayumi’s memorial again? Just to let Pekoyama-san and Natsumi-san watch,” Yukizome suggested.

“Eeeh? I have to listen to everyone talk about how ugly it is again?” Saionji frowned. “This is too sad…”

“You’re going to be fine,” Owari said. “You said a lot more mean shit to some of us.”

“I was just teasing you,” she muttered. “Fine, let’s do this.”

“Then take your positions, everyone!” The director commanded. “Saionji-san is the one to initiate this scene, so make place for her.”

And so they did. Saionji stayed alone next to that sinister-looking memorial, as it was already prepared. It really did look awful, but she seemed to be quite pleased while looking at it… Maybe because they actually used Koizumi’s photos for this.

Hinata could swear that almost all of them felt sorry for Koizumi for using her talent like that… And at the same time weren’t sorry about criticizing it at all.

“…wh-what the heck is this!?” His reaction came first.

Then it was Tsumiki. “KYAAAAA! What are these… these horrifying photos!?”

And Souda. “What kinda ominous crap is this…? Is this like something you use… for sorcery!?”

“Even we have our pride,” Tanaka muttered, unable to stop himself from making a comment.

“…did you just admit to practicing sorcery…” Souda looked at with an obvious disgust written on his face.

“I never had any intentions of hiding it,” he stated calmly. “I take pride in my abilities.”

“Dude, that’s… awful.”

“Do not say things like that! You have no idea about the secrets black magic hides!” Sonia said firmly.

“Sonia-san?!”

“Though if you wish to learn about it, I would gladly lend you a hand,” Tanaka offered to the other boy, but now he seemed even more disturbed.

“Aren’t you glad, Souda? You got included,” Kuzuryuu snorted at this sight.

“Just leave me alone!”

“Coward.”

“Fuyuhiko-chan, you’re going to make him cry,” Mioda said, trying to hide that she found it funny too, but she was too obvious.

“I hate you all. You’re all terrible,” Souda muttered, pulling his beanie over his ears and barely holding back tears.

“Come on, you shouldn’t tease your friend,” Komaeda spoke up, and Souda gave him an extremely surprised look, at the same time making an impression of someone who just got saved from death.

“Komaeda…”

“You’re all so lame,” Natsumi sighed. “When’s your turn, big brother?”

“He’s supposed to be on the verge of life and death now…” Pekoyama reminded her.

“Ah, cool. All because he had to go and try being a hero.”

"I actually think he was quite cool during that scene..." the other girl commented while looking away in embarrassment. "Though it was still unnecessary."

“Don’t you just love how we always find a thing to discuss and forget what we were supposed to do in the first place,” Hinata sighed, turning to Nanami, who just shrugged.

“I think… that’s simply who we are.”

***

Somehow they managed not to make Saionji cry for real. Or at least they thought so, as her acting skills were impressive enough to make them question which tears were real and which were not.

"Hello there." Suddenly they heard Koizumi's voice, as she appeared in the doorway, with Sato following close behind her.

"Mahiru-chan! Sato-chan!" Mioda yelled happily, waving at them. "You're late, we're already done with everything for today!"

"Right, you've missed all the fun!" Saionji added and ran up to the them.

"I know," she replied with a smile. "We came to pick Hiyoko-chan and Mikan-chan up."

"Are you doing well?" Sato patted the younger girl's head. "Now you're the ones to stand in the spotlight, right?"

"Of course, but look!" She pointed at the memorial. "I helped to make it! What do you think, big sis Mahiru? Are you proud of me?"

For a few seconds Koizumi looked so utterly terrified that it was almost comical. Almost, because Hinata knew that if he laughed he would get a scolding from her – first for making fun of her, second – for not appreciating Saionji’s work. Of course she would never say a bad word about it.

“It’s very… creative,” she said in the end, with a forced smile on her face. “Are those all photos I took myself…?”

“Yup, they are!” The blonde girl exclaimed happily. “I’ve put a lot of heart into making this!”

“Then I’m happy, thank you,” Koizumi replied, this time more naturally. “Have I missed anything else?”

“Just the usual stuff,” Yukizome said. “Nothing changed while you weren’t here.”

“Today I have learned that nowadays nobody appreciates the beauty of occult anymore,” Sonia stated, actually looking and sounding disappointed. Sometimes her words could really baffle anyone, except for Tanaka, who just nodded, apparently agreeing with her. What a weird couple.

“Natsumi told us a story about how Kuzuryuu nearly drowned in the sea once and how Pekoyama had to save him,” Hinata added his own memory from today.

“What!? When did she tell you that?!” He yelled, glaring at his sister.

“That’s only the truth. You were a crybaby when we were little,” she muttered, somehow less enthusiastically. That’s when Hinata realized that it was the first time she spoke since the two girls had showed up. She was unusually quiet…

“…hello, Natsumi-chan. I didn’t notice you,” Koizumi said after a moment of silence.

“Of course you didn’t. That’s why I kept my mouth shut for,” she snorted. “I guess I’ll be going now.”

“Hey, wait for us. We’ll go home together.” Kuzuryuu tried to stop her, but she only grinned at him.

“Go with Peko. You can hold hands and do some other embarrassing shit,” she said before leaving the room, making her brother and friend blush. “I didn’t come here to pick a fight, so I better leave before I do it by accident. Bye.”

“Some things actually change,” Sato muttered in surprise, but there’s a chance nobody paid attention to that, as Tsumiki somehow tripped over something and fell.

“And some things don’t. Like, never” Saionji snickered at that sight, without even noticing that she was one of the people that changed the most.

***

Hinata was about to leave when he noticed Sato standing next to the exit door by herself. He looked around, but he didn't spot any of the other girls...

It struck him that he never really talked to her outside of their group interactions. She belonged to a completely different circle of friends, and he knew basically nothing about her, except for the fact that she was really close with Koizumi…

"Hey." He waved at her, drawing her attention. "Waiting for Saionji and Tsumiki?"

"Ah, Hinata." She turned to him. "Yhm. Hiyoko and Mikan decided to share the dressing room from now on, so Mahiru went to visit them."

"I see... A few months ago I would've never expected them to get along like this," he replied.

"You think so?" Sato muttered. "I don't know how it was before, so I can't say..."

"…are you really alright with just joining a group of friends that knew each other since a long time ago?" He asked, not even knowing why. "Like... They went through a lot together before they even met you..."

"Hmm... I don't see a problem, to be honest," she stated, then looked away, smiling. "You shouldn't judge the strength of your feelings by time. Sometimes things just work, regardless of it... Like with me and Mahiru."

Well, it wasn't like Hinata couldn't relate. His friendship with Komaeda and Nanami just… happened, and he fell in love with the former soon after that. He couldn’t tell that time was a problem, because it really worked, but… Sometimes it bugged him how much of their lives he had missed, and how different things could’ve been if they’d met earlier... Especially in Komaeda’s case. Would it have been easier for him to endure everything he went through if Hinata had been by his side back then…?

“I’ll just have to make up for all this time I wasn’t around and spend more time with her… and the other girls...” Sato said, stopping his track of thoughts. “You shouldn’t let things like this get in your way, you know?”

“You really like Koizumi, don’t you?” Hinata sighed at her failed attempts of not emphasizing that she clearly adored the red-haired girl.

“I would do anything for her,” she stated without even stuttering. _It’s amazing how girls are always so straightforward,_ he thought. “Ah, right. I’ve never thanked you.”

“Me? For what?”

“That friend of yours, Komaeda, told me that it was thanks to you that Natsumi Kuzuryuu left Mahiru alone. Thank you, really. I don’t know what I would do if she hadn’t knocked it off,” she said. “I would do anything to protect Mahiru, and that girl…”

“I get it, I get it,” he stopped her from saying anything more. “Though I didn’t really do anything.”

“Whatever you did, it worked.” Sato smiled at him. “I’m honestly grateful, so… If you ever need help with anything, feel free to hit me up.”

“Eh?”

“I know you can’t even call us friends, but… Sometimes there are things you don’t want to bother your most important people with, despite being in need of help. If something like that happens, contact me,” she explained to the surprised boy. “You were about to leave when I stopped you, right? Then I’m not holding you back anymore.”

_I really know a bunch of strange people..._

But it somehow seemed that all the good things he tried to do for others had a chance of coming back to him. It was a nice thought.

"You're late, Hinata-kun," Nanami muttered after he finally joined them outside.

"Sorry, didn't know that I had a time limit."

"Well, it would be better if you weren't late for your train," Komaeda said.

"If we were late, I would just drag the two of you into an arcade to kill time before the next one..."

"And watch me suffer a complete defeat? I'll pass. You and Komaeda are too much for me to handle, when it comes to games," he sighed. "Let's go, or we'll really be late..."

"Wait!"

"What now!?"

Hinata turned back towards the door to see Souda storming out of the building. The pink-haired boy was the last person he expected to stop him from going home, and honestly... what could he even want from him?

"Man, what did I do to you? Chill," Souda muttered, surprised by his attitude. "I just want to ask you something..."

"Sorry. What is it?"

"Am I supposed to say it just like that...?" He glanced at his two companions.

"Sure, I don't have any secrets before them," he replied half-jokingly. "Or is something of utter importance that you're embarrassed to say it?"

"N-not really..." Souda scratched his cheek awkwardly. “It’s actually nothing important…”

“Then come on and say it. I don’t have much time, you know.”

“I was just wondering… when’s Mioda’s birthday… You’re her closest friend, right? You have to know…” He managed to utter. So that was the thing he found so embarrassing to ask…?

“Of course I know. It’s at the end of November, so there’s still some time,” Hinata replied, trying to figure out what he was thinking about. Well, Mioda really was an important friend to him, so he wouldn’t want to cause her any trouble by saying things he shouldn’t say…

“Damn, so it won’t work…” Souda muttered, most likely to himself.

“What ‘won’t work’?” He asked.

“You’re suspicious,” Komaeda added, what caused Souda to snap.

“I don’t want to hear it from you!”

“Then just tell me what are you planning. I have to know if you want my help,” Hinata sighed. Sometimes dealing with Souda could be quite troublesome.

“You know… Mioda seems to be a bit down about the fact that her character dies soon…” He started hesitantly. “I was thinking about buying her something… like, a gift… to cheer her up… But since I won’t be able to pass it as a birthday present…”

“It’s a good idea anyway… I think,” Nanami said. “I think Mioda-san would be happy about it…”

“Really?” Souda’s eyes lit up instantly and a smile appeared on his face. Only for a moment though, as he frowned a second later. “But I still don’t know what should I get her…”

“This is your business, not ours,” Hinata stated. “But knowing Mioda, she would be happy with anything.”

“But I want her to like it!” Souda exclaimed. “Man, what should I do… I was thinking about some music album… Like, I’ve memorized some of her favorite bands… But she probably already has most of their albums anyway, so what’s the point…”

Hinata let out another heavy sigh, already knowing that he’s about to get involved in something that didn’t even concern him. Again.

Mioda had been his classmate for years. Her parents knew him well and actually liked him, as he acted as a voice of reason for their reckless daughter. She also lived pretty close to him…

“…I can get you a list of her favorite bands and a photo of her CD collection. You up for this?” He asked Souda, even though he knew the answer.

“Dude, of course I’m up for this!” He said, smiling even wider than before. “Thanks, I’ll never forget you this!”

“Sure.”

“No, really, I’ll pay you back for this somehow!” Souda insisted. “Man, you’re a really great friend. No wonder even the weirdos like you.”

“Do you mean me…?” Komaeda asked hesitantly, pointing at himself.

“You, and Kuzuryuu’s little sister too… Anyway, I have to go. Thanks once more, Hinata!” He yelled, already running off somewhere, but suddenly stopping and turning to him again. “Can I ask you one more thing…?”

“What now…?”

“There’s… nothing going on between you and Mioda, right?” He muttered nervously. “I mean, you’ve been friends for so long, I wouldn’t be surprised…”

Hearing that absurd question Hinata couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Souda really did like her, and he was worried whether Hinata wasn’t in the way. Somehow that was really hilarious to him, especially considering how everyone, including Mioda herself, could see his feelings for Komaeda. That Komaeda, who suddenly looked worried, as if the idea of him and Mioda getting together terrified him. Really, what a joke.

“How oblivious… can you get…” Nanami muttered to herself.

“I don’t think you should be the one to say it,” he whispered to her, then spoke up louder, so Souda could hear him. “Mioda is my friend, that’s all. And good things you’ve stopped, I need you to do something.”

“Whatever you say, soul friend.”

_Soul what?_

“You need to get Mioda out of her house the day I’m supposed to take that photo for you, so invite her somewhere.”

“You m-mean like… for a date!?” Hinata wasn’t sure whether he was more scared or excited about that idea.

“If you don’t tell her it’s a date, then she won’t realize that, so it’s up to you. Just so you know, taking her to the movies won’t work. She has too much energy to just sit and stare at the screen.”

“So what would work…?”

“Why do I have to think for you?”

“Man, you’re my only hope in this case! You know her the best!” Souda whined pitifully.

“You’re hopeless…” Hinata mumbled. “Then maybe ice skating? It seems like something she would like.”

“But… I can’t skate…”

“I think she can’t, either.” He shrugged. “But she likes new challenges, so I think she would find it fun, with both of you trying to learn how to skate.”

“…I’ll think about that.” Souda said, this time really turning away and leaving them alone.

“Have you developed a habit of helping everyone out, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda asked him.

“That might be the case. Let me finally rest,” he muttered in response.

"But first you'll have to pay a visit to Mioda-san's house..." Nanami calmly reminded him. "If you want to... I can go with you, I think. We all live close to each other..."

"That would be great," he muttered in response. "This way her parents will pay more attention to you than to me."

"Then I'll go..." She nodded at him in agreement.

Then an idea appeared in Hinata's mind. He turned to Komaeda, who looked kind of dejected. Probably because he was trying to hide the fact that he felt left out...

"Want to go with us too?"

"Eh?" He gave him a surprised look. "But..."

"You've never visited our neighborhood before, right?" Hinata pointed out. "We'll show you around. Also, it's unfair that only we know where you live. You can't even visit us unannounced."

"So you want me to..."

"Yeah. Come with us. It'll be more fun if we're together." Saying that he extended his hand to him, and Komaeda took it without hesitation, his eyes shining with pure happiness. There wasn't even a trace of his earlier worries.

"Okay. I'll go too," he said.

Sometimes it was so easy to make him smile genuinely. So easy to give him something he could be happy about. It was the simplest things he wanted...

"Hey... I don't want to interrupt your moment, but..." Nanami raised her hand, holding her phone, so they could see the time. "We're late."

"...goddammit, Souda," Hinata sighed, making her chuckle.

"I guess that arcade plan is still an option."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys please look at these sketches, this time Chrome drew so many and I'm still crying because they're beautiful and I need you to cry with me  
> https://twitter.com/ChromeXVII/status/821850510894440448
> 
> As always, thank you for everything! I'm really happy that so many people sticks with this fic, I love you all!!


	22. Once upon a time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I'll write a chapter about Hinata and Ibuki?  
> Because I finally did

Hinata was sitting on his bed and staring at a certain stuffed animal lying next to him. He was definitely too old to have one in his room, but he had no doubts that it was there.

So, why did he have it?

 

_"How is that even possible..." he muttered after Komaeda managed to catch that plushie after the first try. Even Nanami had to insert three coins into that hellish machine to win that prize._

_"I got-"_

_"Lucky, yeah, I know. But it's still ridiculous."_

_"Seems like you're going home empty handed, Hinata-kun," Nanami said, squeezing her stuffed cat._

_"I'm a regular person. Winning something here is pretty rare, you know?" Hinata sighed, but then something got shoved into his hands. "Huh?"_

_"Take that one," Komaeda said with a smile. "I didn't want to win anyway, so I'm giving it to you."_

_"Eh? But..."_

_"Ah... You probably don't want it, right? Sorry..." He wanted to take the stuffed dog back, but Hinata didn't let him._

_"No, I'll take it,” he stated, pressing the plush closer to his chest. “T-thanks…”_

And that’s how he became the owner of that silly-looking dog. He took it only to make Komaeda feel better, but now it was sitting there, on his bed, staring back at him.

No, no, it couldn’t be staring back. It was just a toy…

But its brown, fluffy fur looked almost like someone’s hair…

“Goddammit, Komaeda,” he muttered to himself, patting the toy’s head.

What was he even supposed to do with it?

***

One of the things scheduled for that day were the free time events, and somehow Hinata found that very unnerving. Maybe because the difference between his relationship with Komaeda, and Yokohama’s relationship with Suzuki was so big… or maybe simply due to the fact what their dialogues consisted of.

The weirdest thing about going through the free time events with Komaeda was that they were always going so smoothly. With Nanami they always had to repeat these scenes a few times until they could say they’re done with them. She still had those moments when she just ended up stopping because she forgot her line… But Komaeda never allowed himself to make a mistake. From the very beginning, not even once they had to redo something because of him.

Hinata wasn’t sure whether it’s because he was simply a perfectionist, or because he was convinced that he had no right to make a mistake and disrupt their work. It was making him sad to think that the second option was even a possibility…

“Let’s say you end up in a car accident and are hospitalized… On its own, it would seem like a bad luck, right?” Komaeda asked while explaining Suzuki’s luck.

“Well, yeah…” Hinata muttered his line. He already got used to the tone he had to use when they had a scene together.

“But then you meet a lovely nurse at the hospital, and you end up being a lovey-dovey, happy couple… Doesn’t this ending mean that it was a good luck?” He continued while walking by his side.

“Well… maybe,” Hinata reluctantly agreed.

“You never would’ve met her at all if you hadn’t experienced the bad luck of getting in a car accident. Isn’t that right?” Hinata only shot him the most confused glance he was able to. “That’s always been my experience. The bigger the bad luck I experienced at first… The good luck that comes afterward is so big that it wipes out all of that bad luck!”

He said it with such an excitement in his voice, and such an ecstatic face that it would be easy to believe that his acting was all true, if Hinata didn’t know better.

“Does that… really happen to you?” He asked.

“Didn’t I tell you? This is the talent I possess. That’s why I’m called Super High School Level Good Luck,” he replied with a smile… but that smile faltered and disappeared as soon as that scene was over.

“You really don’t like doing this, am I right?” Hinata concluded hesitantly. Barely anyone was paying attention to them at the moment, so they could chat a little before moving onto another scene.

“I doubt anyone would like it if they were me,” he sighed. “Sometimes I feel… as if I’m talking about myself…”

“You’re not…”

“I know.” He smiled again. “Hinata-kun, would it be okay if I held your hand?”

“H-huh? Why would you ask something like that all of sudden?” He could feel his face heating up, but he would never deny a request like that. He offered his hand to Komaeda, who simply took it and squeezed tightly.

“I just needed to make sure that I’m really not talking about myself. That I don’t need to force myself to think like that so I feel just a little better…” He muttered quietly, but simply holding hands seemed to be enough to comfort him. “You know, Hinata-kun…”

“What is it?”

“If my luck actually worked the same way as in this game… Then I guess accidentally bumping into a stranger when trying not to stand out would be the bad luck… But getting to know you would be the good luck,” he said.

“…that was a really lame line,” Hinata commented, despite feeling as if his heart was about to melt.

“You look happy though,” Komaeda laughed, making him fall in love even further. He was just too adorable. How was he even doing that.

“I’m-“

“Hajime-chan!” Mioda interrupted him before he could even form a response, throwing herself at his back and hugging him. “Sorry to interrupt, but guess what just happened!”

“No idea, Mioda. Tanaka’s hamsters tried to bite through some extension cord again?”

“Not this time! Kazuichi-chan invited Ibuki to go ice skating with him!” She exclaimed happily. So he actually mustered the courage to ask her…

“That’s good, I guess. I’m assuming you agreed…?”

“Of course! It’s going to be so much fun!”

“And when are you going…?”

“On Friday!” Mioda said, not suspecting anything. “We’re free this week on Friday, so we decided to make use of that free day!”

“I see… Then have fun, and don’t break any limb, okay?”

Hinata and Komaeda exchanged looks, knowing what all of that meant. Their mission was going to begin on Friday… It was time to break the news to Nanami.

Meanwhile in the background Owari, Nidai and Yukizome’s voices could be heard.

“So we’re not going to actually dress old man Nidai as a robot? That’s kinda disappointing…”

“I admit, I hoped that it would actually look this way.”

“Sorry, but that would be hard to pull off… You know, making a costume like that both good looking and easy to move in is impossible.”

“If you really want, anything is possible!”

“Right, I agree with that!”

“A robot costume would be cool,” Mioda commented, still hanging from Hinata’s back. “What a shame.”

“Please, let go of me. You’re getting heavy.”

“And Hajime-chan is weak.”

“And you’re going to be dead if you don’t let go.”

“So mean!”

***

Theoretically they didn’t have to hurry so much to the station on Friday, but Hinata and Nanami did it anyway. After he parted ways with Mioda, he rushed to meet with her, so they could run there together, afraid that Komaeda would get lost or miss the right stop. Anything was possible with him.

Hinata found it quite funny, how they roles had switched and for once they were the ones to be waiting for him.

“Here, you airhead,” he called out to Komaeda as soon as he noticed him, making an impression of someone who really was lost, looking around and all. “Yes, that’s the right stop. Congratulations.”

“So in the end I managed to do it…” He seemed rather surprised by that fact.

“Thanks god…” Nanami sighed. “We would've have had to look for you if you didn’t…”

“Let’s not waste time here,” Hinata muttered. “I want to drop my school bag at my place, so we’ll go there first, okay?”

“No problem…” The girl replied. “Your house is on the way to Mioda-san’s house anyway, right?”

“Well, yeah… My house is the closest to the station, then would be Mioda’s, and yours is the furthest away from here.”

“Then let’s visit them in this order,” Komaeda suggested. “It’ll be the fastest this way, right?”

“I guess? Though my house is empty right now, so it’s not going to be much fun,” he said, remembering that everyone was out at the moment. Like most of time.

“So let’s just stop by so you can leave your bag there,” the other boy replied instantly.

“Right. Then we can go and haunt Mioda-san’s house.” Nanami nodded, agreeing with him. They automatically directed their steps towards the gate.

“Will Mioda-san’s parents even let us in?” Komaeda asked.

“No problem with that. They like me, and I had to wait for her in her room so many times that I’ve lost count. At some point I even started cleaning her mess because it got too annoying,” he sighed, recalling finding dirty socks under the table.

“That reminds me…” Nanami spoke up. “Some time ago, you’ve promised to tell me about how did you befriend Mioda-san. I’m still curious…”

“Oh, I’m actually curious too,” Komaeda stated. “Hinata-kun?”

“I think I said something like that… But it’s a long story. You up for this?”

“Of course.” They both nodded in agreement.

“So I guess I don’t have any choice.” Hinata shrugged. “Where should I start…”

***

_Four years ago_

 

_The thirteen years old Hajime Hinata certainly wasn't a social butterfly._

_To be honest, he was a lot worse than his seventeen years old self. He wasn't able to make a single friend since his first year in middle school began, and he wasn't even trying to. Really, he was fine on his own, spending his breaks on gazing outside the window. It was boring, but bearable._

_He would've preferred it to stay that way, but a certain someone apparently decided to ruin it._

_That 'certain someone' was a girl with hair in an intense shade of pink, sitting on the_ _chair by the desk just in front of him. She sat on it backwards and stared at him with equally pink eyes. It didn't look like she intended to stop any time soon..._

_"...what do you want?" Hinata asked her finally. He himself was able to tell that he sounded unpleasant, but the girl didn't seem intimidated in the slightest._

_"You finally acknowledged that Ibuki is here." She grinned at him, swaying on her chair._

_"Sit properly. I'm not going to clean your blood off the floor if you fall and split your head open," he snarked. "Wait...who are you even...?"_

_"So mean!" She whined. "Ibuki is your classmate! C-L-A-S-S-M-A-T-E!"_

_"I know this much. It's hard not to notice you. Pink hair? Is it dyed?"_

_"Yeah..."_

_"Is that even allowed...?"_

_"It's not, but... Hey, you're changing the topic!"_

_"I don't even remember your name. What am I supposed to talk with you about?"_

_"You don't even...!? Ibuki is Ibuki Mioda, please, remember it! Even Ibuki remembers that you're Hajime Hinata. In short Hajime-chan!"_

_"Don't call me that." Hinata furrowed his brows in disgust._

_"Come on, don't be like that! You can call Ibuki by her first name..."_

_"I won't. Please, leave me alone."_

_"But Hajime-chan is always alone..." Mioda said, ignoring his frown. "It's kinda sad..."_

_"I'm not sad. You're sad."_

_"Ibuki kinda is, too..." The girl sighed. "Ibuki doesn't really get along with any of our classmates..."_

_"And that's why you decided to bother me?"_

_"You just looked lonely, so Ibuki thought she'll try talking to you."_

_No matter how intense of a glare he was giving her, she just smiled widely and showed him a peace sign._

_"...leave me alone."_

_"Don't be like that... It's boring, being all by yourself..." She muttered, slowly losing her enthusiasm. She looked around with a gloomy face. "We're the only ones like this."_

_"Stop acting like a weirdo, then you'll find friends," he said. At the back of his mind something was telling him that he was just being_ _unnecessarily mean, but he wasn't kind enough to be bothered by that._

_Suddenly she said something that actually surprised him._

_"Isn't having friends meaningless if you can't be yourself in front of them?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Ibuki thinks she would never be able to be friends with someone who can't accept her for who she is," Mioda continued, leaning on his desk._

_"That's... kind of deep." To his own surprise, he agreed with her. "Though there's a lot of people out there that have no problem pretending someone else in order to get acceptance..."_

_"But Ibuki could never do that," she stated. "There's no way she could be happy like that."_

_"I... don't really know what I think about it..." Hinata muttered, at some point stopping trying to chase her away._

_"Ibuki thinks you make an impression of someone who wouldn't try to change another person as he likes," she said._

_"Of course I wouldn't. It's better to just leave them alone."_

_"What a loner you are," she snorted, sitting up again. "Ibuki thinks she likes you."_

_"Thanks."_

_"Hajime-chan isn't going to say he likes Ibuki too?"_

_"No, I'm not really sure what I think about you..."_

_"Then Ibuki will stick around for a bit."_

_"Please, don't."_

_"It looks like Ibuki will have a lot of work with convincing you she's not that bad," she laughed happily, ignoring his scowl._

_"You're being annoying."_

_"Ibuki knows! But is there even someone you don't find annoying?"_

_He himself was confused when he laughed at that statement, but..._

_"You've got a point here. You can stay."_

_***_

“So you just...”

“…became friends…”

“…because there was no one else that seemed suitable for this. Yeah,” Hinata confirmed. He didn’t even have to look at them to know that they’re surprised. “I think I told you before, we’re not some fated friends.”

“But still… it seems… pretty random?” Nanami muttered.

“Though a story like this certainly fits you,” Komaeda laughed.

“You’re both the ones to talk. When we first met one of you walked into a lamp, and the other bumped into me.”

“Maybe you just summon weird people…” Komaeda commented.

“It’s possible. Anyway, we’re here,” Hinata said, stopping in front of his house and pointing at it. “I live here.”

“It looks… normal.”

“Well, sorry that I don’t live in a freaking mansion, like someone else I know.”

“Don’t worry, Hinata-kun, I live in a normal house too,” Nanami spoke up, as if wanting to comfort him. Not that she needed to.

“Whatever. Do you want to go in, or…”

“We can wait here. There will be more occasions to visit you… or at least I hope so,” Komaeda replied.

“Okay then. I’ll be back in a moment,” he muttered, heading towards the entrance door.

He wasn’t sure whether he was more relieved or disappointed. He rarely ever invited anyone home, so doing it now seemed weird, but… maybe he should change it…

Well, he had more important things to worry about now.

***

_"Hey hey, Hajime-chan, have you thought of joining any club?" Mioda asked him during the lunch break a few days later._

_"Do I look like someone who's good at anything to you?" Hinata looked up from a manga he was reading. "I'm good at doing nothing. Is there a club for that?"_

_"Ibuki doesn't think there is..." She laughed at his comment. "You know, Hajime-chan, Ibuki wants to join a club."_

_"You should join the occult club. As a research subject."_

_"And you as the researcher, emo prince.”_

_“If I’m the prince, who’s the king?”_

_“Still Sasuke-chan. Anyway, Ibuki wants to join the light music club!" Mioda exclaimed in a determined voice. "She can sing and play guitar, so..."_

_"You can also play on people’s nerves.”_

_“Try being more positive for once!”_

_“Not interested.”_

_“Hajime-chan really is a hopeless case,” she sighed. “Anyway, Ibuki is joining a club!”_

_"Do as you wish," he sighed. He was slowly getting used to her ever-present rambling, but if she joined a club, her company would become a little less frequent... He was willing to go along with that. She wasn't as annoying as he thought in the beginning, but she was still much too loud, much to enthusiastic and much too affectionate. Just not his type of person._

_"But you know what, Hajime-chan? It would be great if you joined with Ibuki!" She exclaimed suddenly._

_"Huh? And what I am supposed to do there? Be the mascot?"_

_"It's never too late to learn how to play an instrument..."_

_"No, no, no. I'm not going to do that, no matter how much you beg. Forget about it.”_

_“Hajime-chan is no fun,” she sighed, pulling a club registration form out of her bag and starting to fill it in. “Ibuki is sure it would be awesome…”_

_“First join it yourself, then worry about me. What if you end up disappointed?” He asked her. He wasn’t bitter. Not at all. Right now he was actually worried about her. “What kind of music do you even like?”_

_“Right, Ibuki hasn’t told you yet. Wait a moment, she’ll let you listen…” Mioda muttered, reaching inside her bag to pull out her phone and earphones. “Take one, Hajime-chan!”_

_“O-okay…”He took the offered piece and put it in his ear, waiting for the girl to play whatever she wanted him to listen… But he pulled it out as soon as she did it. “What the hell is this!?”_

_“Cool, isn’t it?”_

_“It sounds like something straight from hell. I knew that you’re not completely normal, but this…” He frowned, not even able to describe the sounds coming from the earphones._

_“You know nothing, Hajime-chan,” she sighed, standing up from her chair. “Ibuki isn’t going to force you to join with her, but you know… If you change your mind, don’t be afraid to tell her. She’s going to go turn her application form in now.”_

_“Have fun…” Hinata muttered, watching her leave the classroom with a piece of paper in her hand._

_He actually never thought about joining a club. In his opinion he was there to study, not to make friends… but... Maybe Mioda was right, and spending all three years on nothing else but studying would be a waste. If only there was a club that would be even remotely fun and didn’t require any special skills from him… No, there wasn’t anything like that. And there’s no way he would join any club on his own._

_He hoped that at least Mioda would have fun._

_~_

_Just like he expected, after she joined that light music club of hers Mioda had less time to bother him. She started bringing her guitar to school, and it became even harder to make her sit in one spot for a moment… But somehow she was managing to find a few minutes for giving Hinata a report from her club meetings. Sometimes he was listening to her, sometimes he was just pretending… but he still could tell that she’s really passionate about it._

_Though there was one thing that seemed to bother him more than Mioda herself._

_“Hey… You’re not really into the kind of music they’re playing, right?” He asked her finally. He knew that he hit the nail when her smile faltered for a moment._

_“Well…” She looked away, avoiding his gaze. “It’s true that it’s not Ibuki’s genre… but she only just joined, so…”_

_“You should talk to the other club members about it, you know?” Hinata suggested. “Maybe you could come up with some compromise, so you can play your music too…”_

_“It’s a wonderful idea, Hajime-chan!” She smiled at him brightly. “Ibuki will surely do it! She actually wanted to talk to her upperclassmen about it, but maybe a little later…”_

_“The sooner you do it, the better,” he concluded. “You’re a member of that club too, you shouldn’t be afraid to speak up your mind.”_

_“Thanks, Hajime-chan.” Mioda grinned. “You’re a really good guy, you know?”_

_“I just told you what I was thinking, that’s all,” he muttered in response. “Just don’t be rude when talking to them.”_

_“Roger!”_

_~_

_“You don’t meet in your club room today?” He asked her a few days later, during lunch break. She was swaying on her chair, holding some game console in her hands._

_“Nope, not today,” she said, not even looking away from the screen. “Our club has only four members, and one is not even at school today, so Ibuki preferred to stay with Hajime-chan.”_

_“I feel so honored,” Hinata snorted. “You’re playing a game anyway.”_

_“Ah, is Hajime-chan curious!?” She finally looked at him, then moved closer. “Look, it’s really cool!”_

_“Mioda, you’re invading my personal space-“_

_“Ibuki saw it somewhere on the Net and thought it looked interesting, so she bought the first one of the series,” she continued, completely ignoring his discontent. “It’s a murder mystery game about a group of kids locked in a school, with a stuffed bear as the villain…”_

_“Wait, I think I’ve heard about it somewhere….”He said. “Is it good?”_

_“It’s totally awesome! Ibuki sometimes had problems with solving the cases, but now she’s already playing the sequel,” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “You should play it too!”_

_“I don’t even have a console like this.” Hinata tried make her abandon the idea, but he should’ve known that it’s not going to work with Mioda._

_“Ibuki will lend you hers, it’s no big deal.” She smiled at him. “Just let her_ _finish the second game and then she’ll give you both of them at the same time.”_

_“I didn’t say that I want-“_

_“Hey, look at this guy.” She ignored him again and pointed at some 2D character on the screen. “He reminds Ibuki of Hajime-chan.”_

_“In what way…?”_

_“In many ways! You would even look similar if your hair was shorter. Now you look more like a beta design of his… But you’re probably still in your edgy phase, so it’s understandable.”_

_“Stop comparing me to a fictional-“_

_“Wait a moment,” she muttered, sticking her tongue out and pressing the buttons at high speed. “Here, try reading it out loud.”_

_Mioda nearly shoved the console into his face, completely ignoring his protests, like always. Sighing heavily and visibly not wanting to do it, he looked at the screen._

_“Anyway… I guess I should introduce myself first. I’m not so special that I have to introduce myself, and formalities are always a little embarrassing…” He read in a bored tone, earning a pout from the girl._

_“Put a little more heart into it!_ _” She demanded. “You’re similar, so Ibuki wanted to see Hajime-chan acting like Ryuusei-chan…”_

_“A moment ago you said I’m in my edgy phase.”_

_“Pleeeaaaseee…”_

_“Okay, okay… But I’m never doing this again, you hear me?” Hinata said, glancing at the screen again. He repeated that line one more time, trying to sound a little more enthusiastic, and even putting on a smile. Judging from his friend’s expression, he did it right this time._

_Wait a moment… friend’s?_

_“That was awesome, Hajime-chan! You should try joining the drama club, you know?” She stated, her eyed almost sparkling._

_“No way. Give me a break, Mioda,” he replied, but felt some weird satisfaction from the fact that something so simple made her happy. She seemed a bit down lately._

_“Ibuki will, but only this time. When Hajime-chan plays the games she’ll force him to go through some free time events with her. It’s going to be fun! Acting is fun!”_

_“Yeah, yeah…” He waved his hand at her, wondering how long it would take her to forget about it._

_~_

_Later she started avoiding answering his questions whenever he asked about her club. She also seemed to have lost most of the enthusiasm she had at the beginning. Hinata could only guess that the upperclassmen didn’t want to listen to her suggestions, and that was the reason for her behavior._

_And so, one day he accidentally came to learn everything. He didn’t even have to ask this time._

_“…what are you doing here?” Hinata asked Mioda when he ran into her by the school’s copier. She was holding a bundle of papers in her hands and stared at the device, most likely waiting for another one to be printed. When he called out to her, the girl jumped in her spot, letting go of the papers she was holding._

_“H-Hajime –chan? Did you want something from Ibuki?” She asked in panic, crouching down to gather her copies of… something. Hinata did the same, a little curious about it, but…_

_“Why the hell to you have like hundred copies of Nicolas Cage’s face!?” He shouted, staring at the photo in his hands. Mioda in turn started laughing. “What are you so happy about!?”_

_“N-nothing… I-t just… It sounds hilarious when you put it this way!” She exclaimed, then sat down on the floor, still laughing._

_“Shut up and explain this!”_

_“Ibuki can’t shut up and explain at the same time…”_

_“Then just explain, you don’t need to shut up.”_

_“Ehm… It’s a little hard to explain,” she muttered, putting her forefingers together and looking away._

_“Bring it on. Living with you for the past month taught me that I can expect basically everything.”_

_“So… It’s like, a prank… Ibuki’s been playing on her friends from the club… She would put these all over the club room…” She said, giggling nervously. “Because she thought that maybe this way they’ll grow so tired of her that they’ll let her leave…”_

_“…what?” Hinata furrowed his brows in confusion. “I need more explanations.”_

_“Okay, Ibuki gives up,” she sighed and let her smile fade. “Ibuki wants to leave the club. She never agrees on anything with the other members… and they don’t even treat her like a friend… so what’s the point?” Mioda muttered, scratching the back of her head. “But the other three members don’t want to let Ibuki leave. You know, Hajime-chan, a club needs at least four members so it won’t be disbanded… If Ibuki leaves, it means the end for the light music club, that’s why they don’t want to accept her resignation. She thought… that maybe if she upsets them so badly that they won’t be able to even look at her anymore… They’ll let her go…”_

_Hinata needed a moment to process her story, then he went back to gathering the photos, still scattered on the floor._

_“Hajime-chan…?”_

_“Go back to whatever you were doing. Print more, it’s none of my business. I’ll just clean the mess my classmate did,” he said. “I can hold them for you as you copy more, if you want.”_

_“Hajime-chan…!”_

_“But listen to me. If someone asks, I don’t know anything. I’ve never even heard about some Nicolas Cage’s photos, let alone knew what you needed them for, is it clear?” He asked firmly the visibly moved girl. Mioda only nodded enthusiastically._

_“Ibuki won’t tell anyone! Thank you, Hajime-chan!”_

_“What are you thanking me for? I don’t know anything.”_

_“Right, right… Thanks for… nothing~!”_

_“You know, that sounded really bad. At least thank me for putting up with you.”_

_~_

_“I can’t believe you did something like this. I thought of you as of mature students,” their homeroom teacher said after summoning them to staff room. He looked pretty disappointed…_

_“Hajime-chan has nothing to do with-“Mioda tried to defend him, but he interrupted her._

_“And what do you call mature? Forcing someone to stay in a club they don’t want to be in?” Hinata said, too upset to care about the fact that he sounds rude._

_“Who does something like that…?” The man asked in surprise._

_“Those girls that came to you to complain about us,” he said. “You know us better than this, right? Do you think Mioda would do something so stupid without a reason?”_

_“No, I don’t think…”_

_“See? She-“_

_“But still, what was done, was done,” he stated. “I’ll talk to the light music club members to solve this issue, but… The two of you still deserve a punishment.”_

_“Two of us!?” Mioda raised her voice. “It’s only Ibuki, Hajime-chan-“_

_“They listed him as your accomplice, Mioda.”_

_“But-“_

_“Whatever,” Hinata sighed, accepting his fate. It’s not like he didn’t expect this when helping her with her stupid idea. “What’s the punishment?”_

_“You’ll have to clean the classroom after lessons. Every day, for two weeks,” the teacher announced. Now he seemed proud of himself._

_"Two weeks!" Mioda whined. "Ibuki is so dead now!"_

_"If this is all... Excuse me." Hinata grabbed the girl's hand, and without hesitating much dragged her outside the staff room. "I knew this was_ _going to end like this..."_

_"Hajime-chan must be so mad right now..." she muttered. "But why didn't he let Ibuki defend him?! He didn't even do anything to deserve a punishment!"_

_"But aren't we in this together?"  He said, a little embarrassed, so he let go of her wrist and turned away from her, as if wanting to go back to the classroom. "We're friends, right? And I still haven't returned t_ _hat console and games to you..."_

_There was a moment of silence after that statement, then, without any warning, he felt something heavy on his back._

_“Mioda?!”_

_“Hajime-chan is the best! He’s honestly the best!”_

_“Why do you sound as if you are about cry!?”_

_“Hajime-chan called Ibuki his friend! He never did it before!”_

_“I regret it now! Let go of me!”_

_***_

“If you ask me, it’s a pretty cool story, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda said after he finished explaining the true story behind that Nicolas Cage incident. “A beautiful tale of friendship, I would say.”

“It’s ridiculous, not beautiful,” he snarked.

“Maybe a little. However…” The boy gave him a smile that seemed just a little bit sad. “I feel somewhat jealous. I mean, you had each other’s back no matter what.  This is something many people never had.”

“I agree with Komaeda-kun…” Nanami muttered. “It looks like you two have a more special relationship than you both think…”

“And I think we both know about it,” Hinata replied. Disagreeing with it would be an insult to both Komaeda and Nanami, who had led friendless lives before. He knew that he was lucky to have Mioda as his friend up till now. “I’m pretty sure she would help me hide a body if I killed someone.”

“Well, if you put it this way, I think I would help too,” Komaeda stated. “I’m not risking you going to jail.”

“You shouldn’t talk about awful things like that…” Nanami gave them a disapproving look, not getting the joke.

“Nanami-san, are you saying that you’d call the police?”

“I wouldn’t, but… Killing is wrong, no matter what…”

“Let’s start with the fact that I’m not a murderer,” Hinata sighed. “Look, we’re here. It’s Mioda’s house.”

“It also looks normal…” Nanami seemed disappointed with that fact.

“Did you expect it to be painted pink or something?” He laughed, moving towards the door. “Come on. Her parents are more normal than her.”

Hinata rang the doorbell, pretty sure that at least Mioda’s mom should be home at this time of the day. He glanced at his two companions, noticing that both of them looked pretty chill with the situation… Well, they were only visiting friend’s house, nothing to be nervous about.

He was right. After a moment of waiting the door was opened by a very familiar to him woman.

“Hello, Mioda-san,” he greeted her.

“Oh, Hajime-kun. Ibuki isn’t home…”

“We know. We came here for a different reason…”

“We…?” The woman finally noticed Komaeda and Nanami. “You two must be Ibuki and Hajime-kun’s friends from work, right?”

“Yes, I’m…” Nanami tried to introduce herself, but she interrupted her.

“This cute girl must be Chiaki-chan, and this handsome young man Nagito-kun. The ones that always steal Hajime-kun from Ibuki.”

“Yes, it’s definitely us,” Komaeda confirmed, suddenly looking proud of himself. Was it because he got called handsome? Or because even Mioda’s mother classified him as the one stealing Hinata from Mioda?

“Sorry for coming unannounced, but I wanted to ask you to let us into Mi… Ibuki’s room for a moment,” Hinata said.

“I doubt she’d have anything against it, considering the fact how many times you had to wait there for her, so go ahead,” the woman replied, not even caring about her daughter’s privacy. It was always a bit questionable to him, but oh well.

Hinata took off his shoes and waited for his friends to do the same, then led the way upstairs to Mioda’s room.

“Okay, I think you need some instructions. Don’t be surprised if you we find her room in chaos, it’s always been like this. We’re looking for any kind of CDs. You’re allowed to look under the furniture, but don’t look inside the drawers or closets. It’s not going to be there anyway,” Hinata explained on their way.

“You seem to know her room really well…” Nanami pointed out, but he only sighed.

"You don’t want to know how many times I’ve cleaned there… Okay. Let’s get this started,” he muttered, as they entered the right room. It was messy as always.

“Woah…” Komaeda stared at it in awe. “Somehow... I also feel the urge to clean here…”

“Right?”

“Wait… What is it?” Nanami pointed at the pin board near to Mioda’s desk. “Is that Hinata-kun I see?”

“Where?” Komaeda instantly joined her in exploring the room.

“I can’t believe the first thing you noticed is her photo collection.” Hinata moved closer to help his memory. What did she even have there… “I completely forgot about it…”

“It that from where you were in middle school?” Nanami asked, poking at the one taken after their first play with the drama club. They even still had their costumes on.

“Yeah. The president of our club took it,” Hinata said, trying not to show embarrassment over the face he made on that photo. Mioda was always choosing the weirdest ones…

“Middle school Hinata-kun was cute,” Komaeda commented unexpectedly, and there went his poker face.

“So now he’s not cute anymore?” Nanami teased, and Komaeda also blushed.

“No, I d-didn’t say that… A-anyway, what kind of play were you taking part in?”

“Our upperclassmen wanted to go with Shakespeare that year. The Tempest, to be precise.”

“Ah, I know that play!” Komaeda said. “It’s a shame I couldn’t see your adaptation…”

“Be happy about it, it was a disaster,” Hinata sighed. “Enough about it, that’s not what we came here for. Our goal is to help Souda.”

“Right…” Both Nanami and Komaeda turned away from the pin board with disappointed faces.

***

_Three years ago_

_Hinata was standing in front of a bulletin board with the lists of new classes, trying to spot his own name, when someone poked at his side._

_"Looks like you'll have to put up with Ibuki for another year," that someone said with a grin, pointing at the board, where the name 'Mioda' was listed just a little bellow the name 'Hinata'._

_"What did I do to deserve this," he sighed theatrically, even though he was actually relieved by this fact. He wasn't going to be alone, and there was no need to look for another friend._ _He was going to be fine… “Wait, blue-green hair!? Are you serious!?”_

_~_

_"Let's join a club, Hajime-chan!" Mioda said, hitting his desk with open hands._

_"You don't learn from your mistakes, don't you?" He muttered, giving her a reluctant look._

_"This time it's going to be different!" She stated. "Ibuki did her research this time! This club has a good opinion, and it has more members than three! We're safe!"_

_"Wait, we?!"_

_"Yes! This time we're joining together!" Suddenly, she pulled two pieces of paper out of nowhere. She put one of them in front of Hinata. "Fill it in!"_

_"...drama club?" He read out loud, picking it up. "So you were serious about it?"_

_"At first no, but there isn't anything that would suit us better. There's no way we don't have any basic skills, so we're going to be fine!"_

_"It's important to be positive, but..."_

_"You should try being positive too!" She exclaimed. "Pleeeaaaseee..."_

_"You know what? Okay. I'll do it." Hinata reached for his pen, and, before anything could make him change his mind, he began writing down his name. "What should I write as 'the purpose of joining'?"_

_"Holy cow, you really agreed," Mioda muttered in shock. "You can write 'my friend forced me'."_

_"Will do," he replied, wondering what he is doing with his life. What happened to the 'I'm here to study’._

_"Yaaay, it worked! Ibuki really convinced Hajime-chan to join a club with her!"_

_“Someone has to keep an eye on you. I’m not letting the situation from a year ago repeat,” Hinata stated, then handed his sheet to her. “Here, I’m done.”_

_“…you seriously wrote that Ibuki forced you to join.”_

_~_

_“It’s good to see that we have so many newbies this year!” A third-year girl, probably their club president, said. “We were planning on staging something bigger this time, but we didn’t know how many people we could get involved…”_

_“What does that ‘something bigger’ mean?” Hinata raised his hand, worried that he’s already going to be forced to act._

_“Well, we were thinking about Shakespeare…” Another third-year said. “But all the well-known plays seem too_ _cliché…”_

_“Then let’s go with ‘The Tempest!” Mioda shouted. “It’s not that well known…”_

_“Where did you even hear about a play like that?” Hinata asked her with a frown._

_“Ibuki has read it some time ago, because of a manga that kept quoting it…”_

_“The Tempest is actually pretty cool,” some shy first-year spoke up. “I’ve also read it…”_

_“The Tempest, you say…” The club president repeated pensively. “It might not be a bad idea. Everyone, please, read it before our next meeting, okay? And think about which role you would like to play. Remember, acting is supposed to be fun, so choose wisely. I don't want you to do it out of duty."_

_“Great. Now I have to read Shakespeare because of you,” Hinata whispered to Mioda._

_“Shakespeare was a cool guy, don’t complain.”_

_~_

_Hinata ended up reading it in one night. Both because it was interesting, and because he didn’t want to fail. He didn’t want to end up as the disappointing member of the club. If he joined with Mioda, he at least wanted to have some fun before they graduate._

_“Mioda, have you thought about who do you want to play?” He asked her during the lunch break, holding the book in his hands and flipping through it._

_“Ibuki has. Why are you asking, Hajime-chan?”_

_“Because if I have to take part in it, I want out characters to interact at least,” he muttered. “So, who did you choose?”_

_“Ariel. He was a funny guy,” she replied with a grin._

_“Then I guess I should choose…”_

_“Prospero,” she suggested. “Ibuki thinks this role suits Hajime-chan.”_

_“But isn’t he, like… the main character?” Hinata frowned, flipping through the book one more time, to see how many lines he would have. The answer was ‘a lot’._

_“There’s a bunch of characters that could be considered the main ones, so don’t worry. Also, Prospero and Ariel have many scenes together,” Mioda said._

_“If I decide to go for that role… Will you stay after classes and practice with me?” He asked sheepishly, scratching his cheek. “I’ve never tried something like that in my entire life. I don’t want to look like an idiot in our upperclassmen’s eyes…”_

_“Will do!” Mioda nodded happily, rising her hand to do a high five with him. “Let’s rock this scene!”_

_“O-okay…” Hinata awkwardly returned her gesture, thinking that maybe going along with her ideas wasn’t such a bad idea itself. Maybe that’s who he really_ _was – someone who actually liked company and doing things for others._

_***_

“Now that I think about it, being Mioda’s classmate is fun,” he stated, pulling another CD out from under the bed and giving it to Nanami, so she would put it on the right shelf. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for her…”

“You sound like best friends to me,” she said. “But both of you say that it’s not the case… I don’t understand…”

“To me…” Komaeda started. “You sound more like siblings. I mean… I don’t have siblings, but I have Makoto and Komaru, so…”

“I wouldn’t mind having her as my sister.” Hinata placed another CD on the shelf. “I think this is the last one. Finally.”

“That’s an impressive collection…” Nanami muttered, looking at the bookcase filled with CDs.  A small section of it was dedicated to games.

“She doesn’t know the word ‘restraint’,” he commented, pulling out his phone and trying to take a decent photo. “Okay, I think this one is clear enough. We’re done here.”

“We don’t have to put it all back?” Komaeda asked, but Hinata shook his head.

“She won’t notice anyway.”

“So… the last stop is… my house,” Nanami reminded them. “Maybe my sister is already home. You’ve never met her before…”

“Then let’s go,” Hinata agreed. “If we stay here too long, we may get found out.”

***

_Meanwhile somewhere else_

 

“You said you can’t skate!” Kazuichi shouted when Ibuki gracefully skated around him, who was sitting on the ice.

“Because Ibuki couldn’t!” She laughed, then stopped in front of him and extended her hands to him. “It’s the first time Ibuki is here, but she’s a fast learner. Come one, Kazuichi-chan, Ibuki will hold your hand so you won’t fall again!”

The boy’s cheeks turned as pink as his hair as soon as those words left Ibuki’s mouth. He was probably ashamed of himself. He was the one to invite Ibuki, but she learned how to skate faster than him… He still accepted her help though, and didn’t let go of her hand when he was back on his feet. Ibuki was glad that he didn’t.

“Hey, Kazuichi-chan, are you having fun?” She asked him. Something was bothering her all this time.

“Huh? Yeah, I am…” He replied, giving her hand a squeeze. “Why are you asking?”

“Kazuichi-chan always seemed to like Sonia-chan, so Ibuki was worried he wouldn’t have fun with her. She’s a lot different than Sonia-chan after all,” she explained, but then smiled widely. “But if Kazuichi-chan has fun, then everything is fine. Ibuki also had a lot of fun today!”

“You know, Mioda…” Kazuichi began awkwardly. “Yeah, you are a lot different… but… it’s easier to be myself when I’m around you… or so I think…?”

“Well, Ibuki thinks that’s great!” She said in response. “It’s important to be yourself and not let anyone change you forcibly. You are the one who needs to decide who you really are… or something like that. Besides, Ibuki likes Kazuichi-chan the way he is… Kazuichi-chan!?”

Just when she said that last sentence, the boy let go of her hand and fell face-front again. She was starting to get worried, since he wasn’t getting up for a moment, but then she heard a soft ‘thank you’.

“Ibuki isn’t sure if that’s what you should say in a situation like this…” She laughed, then kneeled down to help him get up again.

***

“Your sister is a nice person,” Komaeda said, when the three of them were sitting in Nanami’s kitchen, each of them with a mug of hot tea. The evenings were getting colder and colder, so the older Nanami sister offered them to stay and drink something warm. Earlier Mioda’s mom offered them some cookies, so it was a perfect opportunity to share them.

“Though maybe a little too pink,” Hinata added quietly, glancing at the door to make sure she didn’t hear him.

“I keep telling her to change her style… but it’s no use…” Nanami hummed, taking a tip from her mug. “It looks like she came to like you…”

“Then I’m glad she isn’t like my mom and doesn’t tease your friends. Or doesn’t tease you, using your friends. Even though my mom also seems to like you.”

“She’s a lot like me, so…”

“Are you saying that there’s a chance she would do that?” Komaeda asked.

“…is that how you see me, Komaeda-kun?” Nanami puffed her cheeks.

“Or course no,” he chuckled, seeing her annoyed face. “…Thanks for today. I had fun… As always, when I’m with you.”

“Same for me,” Hinata admitted. “Though I hope Mioda and Souda also had fun on their side.”

“I hope… that Souda-kun still has all his limbs intact…”

“Maybe he has, or maybe not. We’ll see tomorrow,” he replied to Nanami’s worried remark. He had a feeling that Souda wouldn’t return completely undamaged… But he wasn’t going to feel bad for him. In fact, he was a little jealous about their date… “Komaeda, can I walk you to the station later?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I was really excited to finally write this chapter (I wanted to do it almost from the beginning), but then I got so sick that I couldn't focus on writing no matter how hard I was trying... and ended up having to make it shorter, even though I wanted to write more about their middle school days... Oh well, maybe I'll mention it again somewhere in the future.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading, commenting, leaving kudos... for simply staying with this fic. I love you guys!!


	23. Another perfectly peaceful day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be longer, and actually look completely different, but I got so lazy during my winter break that I decided to leave that one for the next time, I'm sorry

“…what’s with that black eye?” Hinata pointed at the bruise under Souda’s eye. “You’re going to need a lot of make-up to cover it…”

“Shut up, I know about it!” The pink haired boy snapped, though his hand automatically went up to his face. “Man, it hurts… You should give me some words of comfort…”

“I hope it disappears soon?”

“You know what? It seemed so forced that I don’t want it anymore, take it back,” Souda muttered gloomily.

“At least tell me, was it worth the sacrifice? Your date, I mean,” Hinata asked him.

“Why do you even ask,” the other boy replied, a goofy smile appearing on his face. “A few bruises are a fair price, man.”

They met in the entrance hall, just like when Hinata was plotting with Kuzuryuu behind Komaeda’s back… Though this time it was Mioda they were trying to keep unaware. Komaeda and Nanami also left them alone, so she wouldn't notice anything.

“Good then.” Hinata shrugged. “She also seemed to be satisfied with it.”

More like she called him that evening to give him a report. They were indeed on a good way to become a couple…

Mioda as always was a few steps ahead of him.

“Anyway, give me your e-mail address, I forgot to ask you about it before,” he said to Souda. “I’ll send you the photo I promised you.”

“Right, of course! You’re the best, man,” he replied, still grinning. Hinata was beginning to get seriously jealous…

“Komaeda and Nanami helped me, just for your information,” he muttered, hoping that maybe someday Souda and Komaeda will get along. “So… you really like her…?” He asked hesitantly after a moment. He just needed to make sure.

“E-Eh?” Souda gave him a surprised look. “Well… Y-Yeah, I do… She’s a great girl, you know?”

“I know. I’m just wondering whether you are the one that knows about it.” For a second he thought that maybe he came off as too harsh, but it’s not like he was doing anything bad… He just didn’t want his friend to get hurt.

“What do you mean…?” The other boy finally looked serious.

“Ever since we met for the first time you seemed to be all over Sonia. I’m wondering what caused you to change your mind.”

“So that’s what you’re worried about?”

“Is there anything wrong about what I’ve said?”

“Well, there isn’t, but…” Souda fell silent for a moment, thinking about a proper answer. “Look, there’s no use being crazy for a girl that’s already taken… And I already knew that we couldn’t be more mismatched…”

“So you decided to go for a girl that would give you a chance?”

“Why does it suddenly seem like you’re against me?!” Souda exclaimed. “Why did you decide to help me if you don’t like the idea of me going out with her?!”

“Hey, it’s not like that!” Hinata protested. “I don’t have anything against you getting together! I just wanted to make sure you really like her, and you’re not just desperate!”

“…I hate you.”

“Souda, I just…”

“Yeah, I used to be into Sonia-san, but I’m serious now!” He stated firmly, then looked away, scratching his cheek. “Mioda is completely different from her… But it’s fine. No, it’s… not only fine, it’s better than fine. You should understand… With her it’s just easier to be yourself. She doesn’t judge people, she believes in them… And that’s what’s so wonderful about her. You get what I mean?”

Hinata simply nodded. He exactly knew what Souda meant, and it made him feel a little less worried. “Okay. I think I understand where you are coming from. But… Make her sad and I’ll kick your ass.”

“You act like an overprotective brother…”

“Look, Souda. If this was a one sided thing, and she was sad because of it, I would just say that it’s her own fault and she was asking for it. But if it’s not one sided, then put some effort into making her happy, okay?” Hinata sighed. He wasn’t planning on giving Souda a lecture, but whatever.

“Are you implying that-“

“The topic is over, let’s join the others or Yukizome-san will come to look for us. Or worse, she’ll send Mioda.”

“In the end you’re a good guy, Hinata!” He concluded, patting his back. “If you have someone you like and need help, I’m right here!”

“No, thanks.” Hinata just couldn’t imagine Souda helping him conquer Komaeda’s heart. First of all, he didn’t really need to do that, as he could come up with some pretty solid evidence that he loved him back. It's just that their situation was a little more complicated, and... Getting Souda involved would only make things worse.

“Come on, my friend. Who is that? Nanami?”

“No.”

“Then maybe… Kuzuryuu’s little sister?!”

“What?! Not even close! Stop saying stupid things!

***

“So… The despair disease,” Yukizome said, then sighed. She didn’t need to add anything for them to understand what she meant.

“It’s going to be a pain,” Saionji commented.

“Yeah, especially dying,” Kuzuryuu muttered, earning a glare from the younger girl.

“Do you want to die too? Ask Tsumiki, I’m sure she’d be able to help you.”

“I-I would never…!” Tsumiki cried out.

This time Saionji glared at her. “Huh? Did you say anything?”

“I-I’m s-sorry!” She replied instantly. “B-But… Saionji-san, I-I would never do anything bad to you!”

Mioda approached the girl and placed her hands on her shoulders. “It’s fine, Mikan-chan. Ibuki doesn’t mind dying for you.”

“It’s n-not like that, p-please, stop it!”

“Stop teasing her, everyone. You are going to make Tsumiki-san cry,” Sonia interrupted them with a worried face.

“She’s always crying though,” Saionji pointed out.

“Because you’re mean to her, little Satan,” Owari commented.

“Anyway, the despair disease…” Yukizome sighed again, ignoring their bantering. “You all know what it means. Komaeda-kun, Mioda-san, Owari-san…”

“This is going to be so embarrassing…” Owari scratched her cheek. “Why does it have to be me…”

Mioda in turn began to giggle under her breath. “Ibuki can’t wait to see Nagito-chan make a fool out of himself.”

“I do it on daily basis, Mioda-san…”

“Not to this degree,”  she snickered again. “Let’s get this started! Ibuki practiced her poker face in front of the mirror for this moment!”

“You sure are energetic for someone who’s going to die soon,” Kuzuryuu muttered once again.

“What’s gotten into you today, Fuyuhiko-chan!?”

“Maybe Natsumi’s food-“

“Shut up, Hinata.”

“Get yourselves together, everyone!” Yukizome raised her voice, and stood up from her chair by the table. As always, she was holding the script in her hand. “Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun, Saionji-san and Owari-san. You’re the first ones to go. Everyone else, please, step aside for now. We’re starting.”

“Okay…” Owari muttered pitifully. Hinata just gave her a sympathetic look and moved to where he thought he was supposed to stand.

“Ready? Like always, just start when you feel like it!”

 

“Listen carefully, Yokohama-kun! I’ve finally discovered who the traitor is! You know, the true identity of World Ender… The traitor who was hiding among us… It’s Ozawa-kun!”

Hinata could swear he heard Mioda say ‘where’s Ryota-chan at times like this’, and also Tsumiki’s muffled laughter. Well, it’s good that they were having fun, but he wasn’t supposed to laugh, even though he definitely felt like it.

“That’s right, Ozawa-kun is alive!” Komaeda continued, while Hinata stared at him, trying his best not to laugh. Then he switched to talking to Owari, what wasn’t much better, really. Then Mioda joined them, making it even worse.

“Pardon me everyone, but do you happen to have some time to spare?!” She spoke up, her face twitching from the effort she was putting into staying serious. “It may be rude of her, but Anju would like to say her greetings first thing in the morning! Good morning, she looks forward to working with you all today!”

Hinata was still fighting. He still didn’t lose it completely… “I-Inami..?”

“Be careful, Inami-san! Yokohama-kun is dangerous. He wants to kill you and eat you,” Komaeda added, and that was it. He put a hand over his mouth to avoid laughing out loud, but he just couldn’t take it. Playing a game where characters act like that is one thing, watching your friend repeat it is another. The only thing he could do was waving his hand at them to go on.

“Hajime-san! Anju is not tasty! Please do not eat her!”

“H-he’s lying…” He muttered somehow, already knowing they’d have to redo this scene.”

“So it was a lie!”

“It’s not a lie. I never tell lies.”

“So it is not a lie!”

“Yukizome-san, I think it may be necessary to give Hinata-kun a moment. He’s going to suffocate.” Nanami decided to play the role of his savior, while Komaeda and Mioda only exchanged knowing looks and did a high five.

“Goal: making Hinata-kun laugh.”

“Status: achieved.”

***

“So, Hinata… you gotta, like… carry him?” Souda said when Komaeda collapsed onto the floor.

“What?”

“He’s supposed to be unconscious now. He can’t go to the hospital on his own, like Inami and Takahashi,” Kuzuryuu explained. “You have to carry him.”

Hinata frowned at them while crouching down next to the boy lying on the floor. “Why me? It’s not stated in the script…”

“Why? Because nobody else would want to do it. Nobody liked him,” Saionji stated bluntly.

“Do you even have enough strength to carry that guy?” Owari asked. “He’s skin and bones, but I’m still not sure about it…”

“I-I have! Of course I have!” Hinata exclaimed. He wasn’t absolutely sure that he has, but Komaeda didn’t look heavy… He certainly could carry him for a moment, even if not for long… He was sure about it, but still whispered to him. “Komaeda, please, cooperate.”

“I’m unconscious, Hinata-kun.”

“I’m going to drop you.”

“You guys are hopeless,” Kuzuryuu sighed. “Yukizome-san, is it going to be okay if I help Hinata pick Komaeda up?”

“I don’t see any problem with that,” the woman replied, already looking mildly amused. She had to really like watching them struggle… “We have to yet figure out how to execute everything, so go ahead, Kuzuryuu-san.”

The boy turned away from her and gave him and Komaeda a grin that definitely couldn’t mean anything good.  Even Komaeda nervously shifted in his place when he approached them.

“Listen, you assholes. Leave your flirting outside of this building and take this seriously.”

“F-Flirting…?” Komaeda muttered, as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

“W-We’re always serious, Kuzuryuu…”

“Yeah, we are… Look, I’m going to cooperate, really. It was just a joke!”

“You suck at making jokes, Komaeda,” Kuzuryuu stated. “Sorry, but that’s the truth.”

“It’s okay, I know about it…” He replied, though he still looked kind of disappointed about it.

“Don’t make that face, millions of people suck at telling jokes and it doesn’t make them worse than those who don’t,” the other boy said, and it really sounded as if he wanted to make him feel better about himself just after he dissed him… “Anyway, Hinata, just pick him up. If he’s not going to resist then I’m not needed.”

“Are you going to resist?” Hinata glanced at Komaeda.

“I’m going to regret it if I do,” he laughed awkwardly.

“Thanks god…”

For a moment neither of them knew how to even start. Getting someone seemingly unconscious on your back isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, and Hinata was beginning to wonder if blushing was really going to be the only result of their efforts… as both of them were pretty embarrassed. When he finally managed to stand up while holding Komaeda up without dropping him, he felt as if it was his biggest success of the week.

“…finally…” Komaeda whispered against his ear, tingling his neck with his hair.

“It’s only the beginning,” Yukizome suddenly stated with a smile. “I like the final result, so you’ll have to learn how to do it so it looks good.”

“You’re cruel, Yukizome-san,” Nanami muttered.

“What is your phone doing in your hands, Nanami-san?”

“…I haven’t… done anything yet…”

“You’re filming them. You’re definitely doing it.”

Hinata didn’t even have the strength to tell them off, and a new distraction in the form of Komaeda wrapping his arms around his neck and clinging to him like a baby koala appeared. There was a very real possibility that he was just using this as an opportunity to hug him. He seemed to like physical contact, but almost never initiated it openly… Even though Hinata wouldn’t have anything against him doing it more often. He himself certainly wasn’t a touchy-feely type of person, but when you love someone, you suddenly change your mind when it comes to things like that…

“…You’re lighter than I thought,” he muttered quietly. “Or maybe than you should be. Are you even eating something different than instant ramen?”

“I’m trying to, but sometimes it’s hard, when you’re someone who can’t cook despite living by himself,” Komaeda replied. “But there’s nothing wrong with my health.”

“I hope there isn’t. I’d be worried, you know?”

“You would…?”

“Yeah. You’d never be able to get rid of me before I made sure you’re okay.”

“I wouldn’t even try to.” He only hugged him tighter. “I know you well enough to be sure that if you decide on something, then it’s going to be this way.”

“Hey, guys, I told you, no flirting when I’m watching, “ Kuzuryuu hissed somewhere nearby, what made Hinata put Komaeda back on the floor in panic. Thankfully he managed to understand the situation before it happened. “Even if I can’t hear what you’re talking about, I can see the look on your faces."

“We’re not even flirting!”

“Fuyuhiko-chan, let them be, you and Peko-chan weren’t really much better,” Mioda spoke up. “Even if you were better at hiding it, Ibuki could still spot you.”

“We weren’t…!”

“You’re literally in a relationship, what are you panicking about?” She seemed confused.

Just like Souda.

“Huh? Did you just accuse Hinata and Komaeda of…?”

_Ah, must be nice to be oblivious._

_***_

“I’m sorry.”

That was Tsumiki’s first reaction to that scene when they wake up in the same bed, in the hospital. That would be okay, she usually apologized a lot, and that scene was particularly embarrassing to both of them, so… There really wouldn’t be anything strange about it. Absolutely nothing strange.

If only she said it to him.

“I-I’m really sorry,” she repeated, staring directly at Komaeda, who looked just as surprised as Hinata felt.

“Why are you apologizing to him!?” Hinata unwillingly raised his voice, making her step back in surprise.

“I-I’m really sorry!”

“Yeah, but why… to him…” He tried to form a proper question, but somehow he gave up halfway. “…Nevermind, forget it. You don’t have to apologize, we’re just following the script.”

“I’m sorry that you have to go through this.” This time Yukizome sounded as if she actually was saying the truth. Hinata figured out that something like this must be really difficult for a girl, especially such a shy one. Teasing him and Komaeda was fun because they actually didn’t have anything against it anymore, but there would be nothing funny about doing it to Tsumiki. “It must be so embarrassing to the two of you…”

“It’s fine.” Tsumiki shook her head. “I-It’s Hinata-san, so I think I’m going t-to be okay…”

“What are you even getting at…?

“Presumably the fact that you and-“ Tanaka tried to say something, but Sonia quickly covered his mouth with her hand, smiling sweetly.

“Do not sorry about it, Hinata-san. Please, get started.”

And so, they crawled onto the hospital bed, both red on their faces and embarrassed as hell, in addition aware that they’ll have to figure out how to lie down in a proper position without making each other too uncomfortable. The rest of the group (except for Kuzuryuu) seemed to really enjoy watching them though.

In short, it was hell.

“I don’t think Koizumi-san would be too happy if she saw this,” Komaeda commented, and Hinata actually felt betrayed. Goddammit, Komaeda.

“Right?” Saionji nodded. “Though someone else also doesn’t seem too happy.”

“Did you expect me to enjoy this indecent scene?!”

“T-there is n-nothing indecent here!” Tsumiki cried out, covering her face with her hands. “I-I’m so glad Koizumi-san i-isn’t here today…”

“She’s going to see it anyway,” Saionji snickered.

“Hajime-chan, wanna switch with Ibuki? Mikan-chan is so cute~”

“I hate every single one of you,” Hinata hissed at them, trying hard to stop himself from asking Yukizome to kick them out of the room.

“Me too?” Nanami, asked. Thinking of that, she hadn’t made a single comment about their efforts…

“Nanami is outside of the hate zone.”

“Now I feel a bit hurt,” Komaeda sighed, and Hinata simply couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

“Just shut up.”

“He got angry,” Mioda muttered to Komaeda, who only shrugged.

“He did.”

He was almost ready to snap at them again, but was stopped by the sound of someone laughing. That someone was Tsumiki, who first started giggling, then began to laugh out loud, like nobody had ever seen her to. She kept laughing until there were tears in her eyes and she had to wipe them away.

“I-I’m sorry,” she finally managed to say. “Sometimes you j-just say such funny things that I c-can’t stop myself…”

“Well, Ibuki thinks that’s the point,” Mioda stated with a smile.

“I think I-I’m fine now.” Tsumiki turned to him. “L-Let’s just get this done, Hinata-san.”

“Yeah… But you…“ He turned to Komaeda, Saionji and Mioda. “Shut up. All of you.”

***

“You what?”

“Exactly what I said,” Komaeda laughed at his surprised face. “I got criticized. For the first time.”

Yukizome gave them some free time and kidnapped Tsumiki again, so they ended up in their dressing room. That’s when Komaeda said something that actually sounded like a lie. The director NEVER criticized him.

“So, if you got criticized, then for what?” Hinata asked, not able to remember him committing any mistake that day.

“Yukizome-san said that I wasn’t believable today.” He shrugged and sat down on one of the chairs. “I’m not sure what she meant, since my role today was all about lying…”

“Maybe that’s where the problem lies.” Hinata also sat down turning to Komaeda. “You’re an amazing actor, but you’re not a liar, so… When you have to play someone who’s lying, you’re not believable.”

“It doesn’t make much sense,” he sighed. “Those lies are obvious anyway, so everyone knows they’re not true.”

“Yes, but you have to tell them as if they were true,” Hinata replied. “That’s the point, Komaeda. Suzuki literally couldn’t speak the truth back then. Lies and truth switched places, and he couldn’t fight against it, just like Inami wasn’t aware she suddenly became extremely gullible.”

“So… I have to talk as if I’m not aware that I’m telling lies?”

“I think so?” It felt strange, to be the one to give advice to Komaeda. Usually it was the other way around. Hinata reached for his copy of the script. He left it in the closet, since he already memorized his lines for now, but… “Let’s try that hospital scene again, this time without audience. They can get really annoying after a while.”

“Fine. More practice won’t do us any harm.” It looked like he was wondering how to approach it this time. “All alone with Yokohama-kun, huh… I can’t even stand being in the same room as you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving. You should focus on curing that crappy disease of yours.”

“Yeah, hurry up and go away… I don’t want to see your face anymore…” He said in a slightly different tone than before.

“I’m no expert, so I can’t speak for Yukizome-san, but I think it was better this time,” Hinata commented. “Still, it feels weird to be helping you with something like this…”

“Really? I don’t think it’s weird. Hinata-kun is a talented actor after all.”

“Whatever you say,” Hinata sighed, not feeling like proving him he’s wrong. “"I always wondered how could Yokohama be so blockheaded that he didn't notice Suzuki was lying again. He had a lying fever. It was obvious he didn't really want him to leave."

"Maybe he didn't want to notice," Komaeda replied quietly, not even looking at him.

"...what do you mean?”

“I’m not saying he was going it on purpose, he did show interest in Suzuki after all…” It looked like he was wondering how he should put it. “Or maybe he was? I don’t know. It’s… Suzuki was dangerous, and it was impossible not to remember about it. It’s only normal not to pay attention to feelings of a person you’re afraid of. And… nothing good would come from getting closer to him, even if he wanted it. Just think about it. Which one is worse, getting betrayed again, or simply staying away?”

“It… seems kind of cruel to choose, when you know all the facts.”

“Yeah. But only when you know all of them.”

"Hey... basing on the whole game... Do you think that he really loved him?" Hinata asked the question that was impossible not to turn up.

"Huh?" Komaeda looked up from his script, giving him a confused look. "Why are you asking about it all of sudden?"

"Because it's something that always puzzled me about this character," he muttered. "At first I would've said that there's no way that he had any real feelings for Yokohama, after all he had done, and also considering the way they treated each other, but... After playing the game for the second time, I started noticing things, and it forced me to rethink all of this… "

"And what conclusion did you reach?"

"That he really did love him. Or at least... you know... saw him differently from the rest, in a positive way," Hinata said. "It's hard to say for sure… I think he loved him, but was scared.”

“Scared? Ah, because his luck could hurt Yokohama somehow? Yeah, I think it’s a very real possibility, considering how he backed off in his last free time event…”

“I’m not talking only about it. He probably was scared of getting closer to someone in general… He had no idea how to do that. He was lonely for far too long…” Hinata stated, interrupting Komaeda. “That’s why he backed off.”

There was a moment of silence. Both of them just stared at their scripts, wondering why are they even getting so serious again. Komaeda was the first one to say something.

“I think you’re right again. You must’ve put a lot of effort into trying to understand him.”

“Then I guess I have more in common with Yokohama than I thought,” he replied, easing up a bit after seeing that he smiled again, but also thinking that understanding Komaeda himself required much more effort.

That’s when someone knocked on the door.

“Hinata-kun? Komaeda-kun?”

“Nanami…?” Hinata stood up to open the door. “What is it?”

“I hope… I didn’t interrupt… anything important…” She muttered, then yawned. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well today…”

“I’m pretty sure I know the reason. And no, you didn’t interrupt anything. You want something from us?”

“Yhm.” Nanami nodded to confirm. “As Mioda-san’s dressing room partner… I thought that maybe we could do something for her too. I’m going to be a little lonely without her…”

“Oh… Right, I forgot that you’re her pair…”

“You can count me in,” Komaeda said, popping up behind his shoulder. “Do you have any idea, Nanami-san?”

“I have one, but I’m not sure if it’ll work...”

“Whatever it is, we can at least try,” Hinata concluded. “Explain, Nanami.”

He knew that he was the one that told her to explain, but he began to regret promising to try just after she did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very pleased to say that this fic is the longest thing I've ever written, and it's still far from being a finished work. Thank you so much for reading this long-ass fic, without your support I would've given up a long time ago. I love you all!!~


	24. Free time with the protagonists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I bring you another chapter of silly fluff, I hope you don't mind

“Would someone be kind enough to remind me why the hell have I agreed on doing this?”

“Because you didn’t know what are you agreeing on, Hinata-kun.”

“And because you’re too kind to just say no to us, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata looked at the bag they forced him to carry as they were making their way to Komaeda’s house. It contained all sort of ingredients Komaeda and Nanami put into the shopping cart after checking the list on the girl’s phone... He ended up as the one who had to push it when they were running around like kids. Of course. Just who else could it be.

“It just can’t end well. I know it,” he muttered.

“Well, Hinata-kun… I think that if you stay this negative, then… it sure won’t end well,” Nanami replied, giving him a displeased look.

“But… Komaeda, we promised not to let her into the kitchen.”

“Hm… Letting ME into the kitchen isn’t a good idea either, and yet, there’s no one to stop me,” he laughed.

“At least it’s not my kitchen. I would never let any of you two in there,” he sighed heavily, not seeing any hope for that poor room in Komaeda’s house. They chose his place because it was the only kitchen they had access to without having to convince anyone they’re not dangerous. Nanami’s sister was surely aware of her lack of skills, and Hinata… just didn’t want them in his kitchen. Like, ever.

“It’ll be okay… I’ve read the recipe and directions about five times…” Nanami said. “I’m not going to mess up this time…”

“And you’ll be here to help us, right?” Komaeda asked sweetly, and damn, was Hinata weak to that tone.

“Whatever. Just don’t make me do the whole thing in your stead,” he murmured, giving up entirely.

That’s how he got framed into baking some goddamn cookies for Mioda, someone who would definitely appreciate a gesture like this, but…

He really didn’t want to poison her.

***

Watching Nanami and Komaeda standing in front of a big mirror in Komaeda's bathroom was quite amusing. Hinata didn't know where she got them from, but Nanami brought some cooking aprons for all of them. In addition, except for him, they had to do something about their hair, so Nanami combed them into twin tails, and Komaeda stuck to his usual ponytail. They both had those ridiculous hairpins, so Hinata decided to wear his too, just for their satisfaction.

"You know, Nanami, we're not in a game. Upgrading your equipment won't raise your stats," Hinata stated.

"I know about it," she huffed, fixing her hair. "I'm just... trying to make myself more motivated... Okay, I'm ready. Komaeda-kun?"

"I'm ready as well."

"You're just playing along with her," Hinata sighed.

"It's fun, so why not?" He laughed in response.

Honestly, they were both so childish sometimes. It was cute, but they definitely needed a babysitter, and who else would play that role, if not Hinata? Besides…

He still remembered what Sato told him about making up for all that time they weren’t around. There wasn’t anything wrong with him doing silly things with them, it’s not like he was old enough to worry about being too childish... And they didn’t know each other when they were younger, so…

That was it. Making up for the things they couldn’t do before, because they had no one to do them with.

“Okay… If you’re completely sure we’re really doing it, then let’s try.”

“Yeah!” They both raised their hands enthusiastically, making Hinata feel as if they were some magical girls team. Though imagining Komaeda in a magical girl’s dress wasn’t exactly a thing he wanted to imagine… But who knows, maybe he would actually look good. He definitely was attractive enough to look good in anything.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Hinata-kun?” He asked after glancing at him and meeting his eyes, making him instantly turn red. What was he even thinking about? He was an idiot. An embarrassing idiot, in addition.

“N-Nevermind,” he muttered, leaving the bathroom and heading to the kitchen. Earlier Komaeda showed him around, but the his house was so huge that he still wasn’t sure whether he was going in the right direction. Thankfully it turned out that he was, and his friends followed him.

“So, what are we supposed to do first?” Hinata asked, and Nanami pulled her phone out and put it on the kitchen table.

"It says that we should mix flour and some other things..."

"What other things?" Hinata sighed. "Be precise. We can't mix just anything."

"..."

"Don't tell me that it's the reason you never managed do make anything decent?"

"Well, if every one of those ingredients is edible, then they must be edible together, right?" Komaeda said, and Hinata was ready to give up.

"You too?! I was right about not leaving you alone with this!” He reached for Nanami’s phone without hesitation. “I can’t believe you managed to survive all those years… Anyway, it says flour, salt and baking soda. It’s not really that hard, Nanami. Here, take that bowl and put it here.”

“Fine…” The girl reached for the bag of flour and tried to open it. Hinata should’ve known that it was a bad idea. He should’ve stopped her…

Apparently she put too much force into doing that. A second later half of the bag’s content landed on the ground, and the other half became a white cloud spreading around the room.

“Holy shit,” he only managed to mutter before the cloud reached his nose and forced him to cough. To his surprise, Komaeda began laughing. “What is so funny to you?!”

“I’m just pretty sure that this time it wasn’t my fault,” he replied, trying to take a step back to avoid the cloud, but somehow he was able to slip and fall onto his butt, making the flour rise from the floor again.

“But this certainly was,” Hinata said, putting as much sarcasm into those four words as he could. “This is already a disaster.”

“Don’t worry… We have more flour,” Nanami mumbled.

“That’s not the point…” He glanced at Komaeda, who was still on the ground. “You’ve got flour on your face. And in your hair.”

“Eh? Really?” The other boy started shaking his head to make it fall off, but it was useless. Hinata just sighed again.

“Sit still for a moment,” he muttered. He was also covered in that damn flour anyway, so he just crouched down next to him and extended his hand to his face to rub it off. Well, there wasn’t enough of it to hide his flushed cheeks when Hinata touched him. “…It’s no use. You’ll just have to take a shower after we’re done. Are you proud of yourself, Nanami?”

“I’ve seen worse things…”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No. You’re underestimating me, Hinata-kun.”

“I just… can’t believe… that it’s going to get worse… Don’t worry, Komaeda, we’ll help you to clean up this mess.”

“It’s fine.” In spite of all, Komaeda laughed. “I like cleaning.”

“Then there’s no problem… I think,” Nanami concluded. “Let’s go back to work…”

***

Somehow, Komaeda was always the one to become a victim of another disaster. Like beating the butter with a mixer. Or cracking the eggs. Most of them were Nanami’s fault, and yet she was almost perfectly clean. It was amazing.

“I don’t think… It was supposed to look like this,” Hinata pointed at the mix of ingredients in a bowl.

“Sadly, I have to agree,” Komaeda muttered.

“Where did we go wrong…” Nanami added

“At the very beginning.”

That's when the doorbell rang. The three of them exchanged surprised looks.

"Were you expecting anyone, Komaeda?" Hinata asked him. None of the trio was in a state to open the door without embarrassing themselves...

"Not really," he replied, already heading towards the door. "But the only people who would pay me an unexpected visit are..."

Nanami and Hinata followed him, but stayed in the kitchen and only stuck their heads out, ready to retreat as they watched Komaeda open the door. It looked like he had no doubts who he’s going to find in front of them.

“I knew it was you,” he said cheerfully. “Hello.”

“He… Why do you look like this?!” Hinata heard a girl’s voice, in addition one he had definitely recognized, even though he exchanged only a few sentences with her.

That girl was definitely Komaru Naegi.

“Ehm… It’s a long story?” Komaeda laughed at his cousin’s question.

“I’m curious enough to ask anyway…” This time it was definitely the older Naegi’s voice.

“I think we’re safe, Hinata-kun…” Nanami whispered to him, then left the kitchen. “I think this is my fault, Naegi-kun, Komaru-chan…”

“You didn’t have to admit it,” Hinata sighed, but also entered the hallway. “Hello.”

“Oh.” Komaru looked at Nanami, then at Hinata. “What is even happening here…? You all look as if you got caught in a food fight…”

“Or as if you both fought against Nagito,” Naegi frowned.

“We’re making cookies,” Komaeda explained happily.

“No, we’re not. The only thing we made is a mess,” Hinata corrected him. “I give up. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop them from causing a disaster.”

The Naegi siblings exchanger looks, then both headed towards the kitchen without another word. A few seconds later Komaru returned with an unreadable expression.

“ I don’t even know how to comment this,” she muttered. “I appreciate the effort, but… What were you trying to achieve?”

“Like I said, cookies…”

“Maybe we can still do something with this…” Naegi spoke up from the kitchen, and Komaru scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“I doubt it.” She turned to them once again. “Is there any special occasion for this?”

“Yhm, there is…” Nanami nodded.

“Then you would probably want to try making it from the beginning…” Komaru muttered, seemingly thinking about something. “First, sorry for intruding just like that. We had no idea Nagito invited his friends…”

“It’s okay… The more of us, the merrier…” Nanami smiled at her softly. The younger girl returned her smile without hesitation.

“Then I guess you won’t be against us helping you a little,” she said. “But let me handle things my way. Maybe I’ll stop the disaster somehow.”

To be honest, Hinata didn’t really find her similar to her brother and cousin. She seemed nice so far, but somehow more confident and responsible. She was also definitely taller than Naegi, and her hair was darker than his… But there was something in the way she smiled that was making it obvious that they’re a family.

“Let’s see… Big brother, could you come here?”

“Sure,” Naegi came back to the hallway, leaving while footprints behind him. The flour…

“Give me your phone for a moment. "I'll make you a shopping list. Take Hinata-san and Nanami-san with you," she said, taking the device from him. "In the meantime I'll make the kitchen usable again, okay?"

"And what am I supposed to do?" Komaeda asked.

Komaru scanned him thoroughly, then sighed. "Nagito... You just take a shower."

"That's the best thing you can do now," Hinata stated, scratching something off his cheek. Going outside like that was out of question.

"Fine..."

"Okay, then let's go," Naegi said. "But... Hinata-san, Nanami-san, you should probably leave the aprons here.”

“Right… They’re dirty too…” Nanami muttered with disappointment in her voice. Most likely their failure caused it…

Hinata wondered if Komaru Naegi really had enough power to stop them from failing again. She looked quite determined, already rolling up her sleeves, but she was still only a middle school student… Well, not that he had any other choice than to just trust her. Komaeda told him many times that both Komaru and Makoto were a great support to him.

“Komaru-chan seems like a responsible person,” when they left the house, Nanami said out loud the same thing Hinata had been thinking.

“Well, maybe because she is,” Naegi laughed at that statement. “She’s probably more responsible than me and Nagito put together…”

“Even though she’s younger…”

“Actually, all three of us always lacked confidence,” the boy said. “We’re similar in that aspect… But Komaru changed recently. I guess I can say she matured? Now that she’s turned all reliable, it makes me question my value as her big brother…”

“There always comes that time when younger siblings learn how to survive without the older,” Hinata replied, remembering Natsumi Kuzuryuu. Even she seemed to grow less clingy to her brother lately.

"That's probably a good thing though," Naegi stated. "It's enough if we stay friends to each other, even if we go our own way. It's just like with Nagito. At some point he began putting you over us, but it doesn't mean we've turned unimportant..."

"I'm pretty sure... that you became the same way after you met your friends... and even worse after you started dating Kirigiri-san..." Nanami pointed out, making the younger boy blush.

"Ehm... probably?" He laughed, not even trying to deny it.

"Then Komaeda-kun is also going to become even worse..."

"So you are also ready for that, Nanami-san?"

"I'm their best wingman," she replied bluntly. “And also a third wheel… But they don’t seem to mind, I think.”

“Why are you two talking as if I wasn’t here?” Hinata frowned, poking Nanami’s cheek. “It’s the first time I hear about you being my wingman.”

“Then maybe I’m Komaeda-kun’s…?”

He had no words for that. Well, the truth was that Nanami was always supportive of them and at the same time enjoyed teasing them…

“Anyway,” he tried changing the topic. “We can always all hang out together, just like today. It’s nice that we can finally meet without any important reason.”

“True. Let’s just buy the things Komaru ordered us to and then hurry back.”

***

“You see, Nanami-san? You have to do it this way,” the younger of the Naegi siblings said, instructing the other girl how to crack an egg. Hinata tried to do this before, but he didn’t have enough patience… Unsurprisingly, Komaru had it. What’s with that whole family of saints, seriously.

“I see… That makes sense…” Nanami muttered, finally managing to do it the right way.

“Hinata-san,  Nagito, you take care of the butter. One of you should hold the bowl so it doesn’t move with the mixer… Big brother, watch them so they don’t mess up again,” Komaru continued to give them advice, and though it looked as if she was ordering them around, Hinata was really grateful to her. It was actually starting to look like something edible... Hinata doubted that they would've reached that point without their help. An the end, they let Nanami and Komaeda form the dough into proper shapes.

"Finally, it's done! Now we just have to put it in the oven and wait," Komaru exclaimed happily. "Was it really that hard?"

"Now that I look at it... It probably wasn't..." Nanami said, giving the effect of their work a puzzled look. "I don't understand it..."

"Maybe next time it'll turn out better," Naegi tried reassuring her. "You just have to practice."

"I'm getting hungry from all this talking about food," Komaeda sighed. "Is there anyone capable of making dinner?"

For a moment the only answer to his question was silence, as they stared at each other. Nobody even expected Nanami and Komaeda to do anything, so it was down to Hinata and the Naegis... And Komaru and Makoto already did a lot earlier... But Komaeda had a point. The three of them had wasted a lot of time before they even appeared, so it's no wonder they were getting hungry.

"Fine. I'll do it." He finally gave up. "It won't be anything fancy though. Are you up for pancakes?"

"Yay, pancakes!" Komaru clapped her hands. “Of course, thanks, Hinata-san!”

“Do you need any help, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda asked him, and he almost replied with ‘from you?’, but stopped himself on the last moment.

“Actually… Why not? It’s not that hard, maybe I’ll somehow manage to teach you something,” he said in the end, accepting help from the absolute kitchen disaster. There was a real chance he did it only because he was cute.

***

Hinata may not be the best chef, and his dishes weren’t even comparable to anything Hanamura ever prepared for them, but they definitely didn’t taste bad, he was sure of that. In the end Komaeda didn’t help him much, but at the same time not a single disaster had occurred, and it was a success.

“It’s really good, Hinata-kun,” Naegi commented after taking a bite. “You could try teaching Nagito how to make something simple…”

“We tried it and it was useless,” Komaru reminded him. “Though it really tastes good. It’s a shame you don’t live closer. You could help us protecting him from starving.”

“It’s not that bad. I don’t need a babysitter.” Komaeda didn’t seem too pleased with the fact that his own cousin saw him as someone completely helpless. “I would even survive on my own.”

“Sure, but at what cost? Ah, by the way, could I take some of those we made cookies with me? There should be enough of them," Komaru asked. The trio nodded instantly, muttering 'sure', and the girl smiled at them. "Thanks. I'll give them to Touko-chan."

"Touko-chan? You mean Fukawa-san?" Nanami spoke up. "She's Naegi-kun's friend from the first cast, right?"

"She is. We also go to the same school now," he said. "Though Komaru is much closer to her."

"We're best friends! Though she can be a bit extreme..." She admitted, scratching her cheek. "I texted her that I'm at Nagito's place with you all... And Touko-chan replied me with a question if I'm enjoying myself, having fun without her..."

"What a great friend," Hinata snarked, earning an awkward laugh from her.

"No, she's great, really. She can be a bit difficult, but I love her very much. It was so cute how embarrassed she was when I started calling her by her first name. Look, I have a photo of us together!"

Komaru pulled her phone out of her pocket and showed them her home screen. It was a selfie of her and another girl, one he had no trouble recognizing after watching an entire show with her as one of the main characters… She was wearing glasses, just as he remembered, but her hair wasn’t braided anymore. Komaru had arm around her shoulder, hugging her, and Fukawa actually seemed to be pretty comfortable with that…

“Fukawa-san most likely likes Komaru much more than anyone from the cast,” Naegi laughed. “Maybe except for Togami-kun, but that’s a different case.”

“It’s cute… Your wallpaper, I mean,” Nanami said to the younger girl, then reached for her own phone. “Look, I have one with Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun…”

It was the exact same photo Hinata had as his home screen as well. Wasn’t it taken like some months ago…? Why was he only learning about that now?

“I have it too!” Komaeda also happily joined them, showing the same picture. Hinata only mumbled ‘yeah, me too’. “Makoto, now’s your turn!”

“Eh? Me?” The boy pointed at himself in surprise. “What’s with that boasting about our phone wallpapers?”

“Come on, just do it.”

And so, he had to do it and let them experience a photo of him, Kirigiri and Togami, with Maizono somewhere in the background, pointing at them. It actually didn’t look like it was posed…

“Kyouko doesn’t like posing for photos, so I would never force her to do that,” he explained immediately. “Though I’m sure Togami-kun wouldn’t mind doing that…”

“Togami-san can be such a diva sometimes,” Komaru commented. “Also, that makes me think… Nagito, Hinata-san, Nanami-san… If the three of you are so close, why are you still calling each other by your last names?”

Now that was a surprising question. Hinata actually never thought about it… As far as he remembered, there wasn’t anyone he would call by their first name. Even Mioda, who continued to insist that he should just call her ‘Ibuki’… To think about it, he was just reluctant to do it for anyone, without any particular reason.

“Nagito… Hajime…” Nanami muttered.

“Chiaki… Hajime…” Komaeda did the same.

“Chiaki… Nagito…”

While Nanami stayed pretty much indifferent, Komaeda and him blushed almost instantly. It wasn’t a good idea. At the same time Hinata kind of wanted to switch to the first name basis, but… Doing it with Nanami wasn’t even half as embarrassing.

“I-I don’t think it would work. I got too used to calling Hinata-kun ‘Hinata-kun,” Komaeda murmured.

“Aww, come on.” Komaru sounded quite disappointed, especially when Hinata nodded. “Nanami-san doesn’t seem to have any problem with that…”

“Nanami is… special. Anyway, it’s getting late. The two of us should probably go home soon.”

“Why don’t you stay the night?” Naegi suggested suddenly. “I’m sure Nagito wouldn’t mind…”

“Of course I wouldn’t, but it wasn’t planned… We didn’t expect it to take so long.”

“We don’t even have a change of clothes,” Hinata pointed out, but the Naegi siblings looked as if they saw no problem in that.

“You’re both pretty tall, so I’m sure Nagito can lend you some of his. As for Nanami-san, give me ten minutes and I’ll go home and bring her something mine,” Komaru exclaimed. “Let’s make a pajama party!”

“Fukawa is going to get mad at you again if do this without her,” Hinata said.

“I’ll think of something to make sure she won’t.”

“If you want, then you really can stay,” Komaeda stated with a smile that he could only read as a wish for them to actually stay. He noticed that the other boy already dropped the act of someone trying to stay away from people. He was still pretty reserved, but it was a far cry from what he was like at the beginning. He was no longer trying to keep them away.

“I’m fine with that…” Nanami muttered. “I’m sleepy, so it would be great if I didn’t have to… go home…”

“I’m almost sure Komaru won’t let you go to sleep this early…” Naegi sighed.

“Right, let’s watch anime! Or… do anything else! It’s not every day we get to hang out with Nagito’s friends!”

“So, in the end, we’re probably not sleeping tonight,” Hinata concluded. “I’m slowly getting used to this…”

***

After spending so many hours with them, Hinata could honestly say that the Naegi siblings were both amazing people and great cousins. They seemed genuinely happy about the fact that Komaeda found friends, and also that the two of them were rather obviously in love. They were that kind of people that you feel like you’ve known them for ages, even if you’ve spent in their company only some hours.

In the end, they ended up watching an entire anime series of Komaru’s choice. Nanami fell asleep on episode three. Naegi lasted till episode eight.

“He fought long enough,” Komaeda commented, turning on the futon to face Hinata. He and Nanami insisted on laying them out in the living room, saying that it's not a sleepover if they don't sleep next to each other…

“And you? Not going to sleep?”

“Yhm, I probably should… But… Hinata-kun…?” He looked away sheepishly. “Can I hold your hand?”

“Like, now?”

Komaeda nodded. They were whispering, so Komaru shouldn’t have heard anything they said… Though even if she heard, holding hands wasn’t anything to be ashamed of…

“Fine. But only until you fall asleep,” he replied, fulfilling his request. The smile he got in exchange sent the butterflies in his stomach fly again. For fuck’s sake. The fact that he really had to borrow his clothes wasn't very helpful... 

Also, he couldn’t have predicted that he would fall asleep first. And that Komaeda would shift even closer to him after making sure he really isn’t awake.

And, lastly, that Komaru would very gladly take a photo of them and send it to Fukawa with a caption ‘confirmed’.

***

“So… I think that they didn’t turn out bad… since we had someone help us… It’s for you, Mioda-san,” Nanami said, handing a nicely wrapped bag of cookies to a girl wearing a hospital robe. It was Mioda’s last day of actually taking part in shooting scenes for the show, so they figured out it would be the right moment to give it to her. “I… We… want to thank you for everything… We had a lot of fun with you. I hope you’ll keep coming here…”

Mioda looked at her with wide, teary eyes. “Chiaki-chan…”

Then she just threw herself at them, trying to hug them all, even though she had only two arms.

“Why are you crying, stupid?!”

“Ibuki just loves you all so much, Hajime-chan! Don’t ruin the moment!”

“Let go of me and pay attention to your goddamn cookies, we’ve spent hours making them-“

“Ibuki will do it later, now’s the time for thanking you!”

“My arm kind of hurts…”

“You see, Mioda?! You’re crushing us!”

Meanwhile Saionji, scratching the pink paint off her neck, glances at Tsumiki. “I want cookies too.”

“E-Eh? Y-You want me to m-make you some?”

“Figure it out,” she muttered gloomily, so Sonia patted her on the head affectionately.

“I will make you some if you want, Saionji-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed the Naegi siblings (I love them okay) so I just had to give them an appearance
> 
> I don't even know how I managed to finish this on time but here I am. I noticed that lately the chapters have been getting shorter... I'll blame that on school, not my personal laziness. 
> 
> Also, you know what I'm going to say, right? Thank you for all your comments, they give me so much joy!! I love you guys, you're the best!


	25. I'm human too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I wrote a serious chapter this time, even though I'm bad at it. I apologize in advance  
> Also, I love Tsumiki

With each trial the bench of dead characters seemed to be growing in numbers. No, not only seemed, there was very obviously more and more of them… And it always looked like they were having fun. It was so ironic. They did their share of work and now could be chilling on the side. Though someone seemed to be missing this time…

“Eh? Mahiru-chan and Sato-chan are not here today?” Mioda asked, looking around in search for said girls. “Ibuki thought that they’d want to see Mikan-chan’s performance…”

"Big sis Mahiru has a date with big sis Sato today. They couldn't have known how we'll handle our time, so it collided with the trial," Saionji sighed. "They even said they would come if only we did it tomorrow..."

"Well, that's a shame..." Yukizome said with a worried face. "Are you okay with that, Tsumiki-san? They're your friends..."

"I-It's fine," the girl replied with a smile. "I would n-never ask them to change their plans because of something like that..."

"Jeez, that's why you'll never grow out of being a pushover," Saionji huffed. "Well, at least I'm here."

"As if your presence was the most important thing," Natsumi snorted somewhere in the background. "Wait... did you just say... a date?! That means I've won last time!"

"Last time...?" Pekoyama asked, visibly sensing something suspicious.

"Ah, Pekoyama-san," Hanamura spoke up cheerfully. "After you and Kuzuryuu-kun finally settled your matters regarding-"

"He's going to say something weird, so let's just say that they voted who's going to be next," Mitarai interrupted him, not being able to say anything else because Natsumi cut in again.

“And I’ve won! I voted Koizumi and Sato to tease then and it turned out I was right!”

“That’s great, miss know-it-all.” Hinata couldn’t stop himself from making a remark. He considered Natsumi a pretty good friend at this point, so he didn’t have to stop himself from getting sarcastic. Also… “So, who are the other candidates?”

“Those are-“

“Quiet there,” Mitarai cut them off. “We still don’t know who’s going to get the second place.”

“What are you guys talking about? Ibuki wants to know!”

“You especially shouldn’t know!” He stated firmly, pointing his finger at the overly energetic girl.

“Why is that?!”

“You think I’d tell you?!”

“Nobody would even think about voting for me. Nobody…” Yukizome, the oldest person among then, and also still single, muttered ruefully. To her surprise, Nanami gently patted her on the shoulder without even changing her expression.

“It’s going to be fine, Yukiome-san… Surely your time will come too… Maybe.”

“Then ‘surely’ or ‘maybe? Which one of those?” She sighed, but smiled at Nanami anyway. It was impossible for the pink-haired girl to have any ill intentions after all. “Everyone ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Probably?”

“I think so.”

“Well, I won’t be any more ready…”

“I-I’m n-not…” Tsumiki clenched her hands on the fabric of her apron. She actually looked pretty scared. The character she had to play up till now wasn’t much different from her real personality, but that despair version of her…

“Relax, Tsumiki-san,” Yukizome said to her, smiling softy. “You were amazing during our practice time. I’m sure you’re going to do well.”

“I think so too. I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t sure you can do this,” Mitarai added. “Good luck, Tsumiki.”

At the same time Saionji seemed to be scolding Hanamura and Mioda for something.

“I said no eating here today! It’s stupid Tsumiki’s big day, I won’t let your crunching ruin it!”

All of that made the girl loosen the grip on her clothes and smile a little, despite her nervousness. “T-thank you…”

Hinata glanced at Komaeda, trying to figure out in what mood he was,  but, as always, it wasn’t easy to tell. He looked okay, perfectly calm and composed, but basing on how well Hinata knew him, he would say that there’s something on his mind… But saying anything for sure in Komaeda’s case could be quite tricky. At the same time he understood him rather well and was afraid of misunderstanding him…

“If everyone’s ready, then please, head to the elevator! We’re starting!”

***

There was only one time when they could see Tsumiki play a more confident character before, and it wasn’t even her character – it was when she switched places with Sato, back when they were rehearsing chapter two… But even though it was only a short scene, they could all tell that she was honestly amazing. It was hard to believe that it was still the same person.

Tsumiki was a beautiful, kind and talented girl, they all knew about it. But she was also shy and extremely self-conscious, and it was stopping her from really showing the true extent of her abilities. But she was slowly changing. She was smiling a lot more. She was still stuttering, but slightly less often. She was trying so hard that everyone somehow ended up cheering on her, even Saionji, who used to claim that she found her freaking annoying.

When she gradually began abandoning her stutter they were of course caught a little off guard, but tried not to show it, since it still wasn’t the time for the actual reveal. Tsumiki herself didn’t seem to be uncomfortable with it in the slightest.

Saionji once said that she never got a major role in any of the school plays. Never, not even once. The reason wasn’t her not being skilled enough. She just wasn’t confident enough to aim for a main role. But now, when she already got casted as a character both important and hard to play…

She really was shining.

“…You’re the killer, aren’t you?” Hinata finally asked her the question that would lead to the final showdown of the trial.

“Eeeek!” Tsumiki screeched, imitating surprise. “U-Um… What are you talking about?”

“Like I said… Aren’t you the killer that murdered them?”

“K-killer… h-huh? Haaaah!? I-I’m the killer…? W-what is this!?”

“A chick like her is the killer?” Owari spoke up with a frown. “She couldn’t even kill a fly. In fact, the fly would probably kill her first.”

“Sh-She’s right!” Tsumiki nodded vigorously, leaning forward behind her barrier. She actually had tears in her eyes, what could only mean that she was skilled enough to fake them. “A clumsy slowpoke like me killing someone…? Th-That’s completely out of question!”

“But… We’re the only ones,” Hinata replied. “Thanks to that video, we’re the only ones who have the advantage of an alibi…”

“Now that you mention it, you guys brought that up earlier… Only you two have an alibi,” Komaeda added with a smug smile.

“I-It’s just a coincidence!”

“But you’re the only one who could’ve filmed that video in the hospital conference room… Is that also a coincidence?”

The look on Tsumiki’s face was so believable that he almost felt bad for accusing her. It was the second time he felt like that – it was similar during the first trial. They were only acting, and even though both Komaeda and Tsumiki’s characters were actually guilty, there seemed to be something cruel about accusing them.

“At that time, you said you were going to the on-call room… But you actually went to the conference room. That’s when you put on a hospital gown that you prepared in advance, put the bag on your head, and began filming. By doing that you made up a video that showed Inami trying to hang herself at the music venue… and showed it to me.”

“Hah, wa… ha-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa…” Tsumiki perfectly played a person who’s beginning to panic, grabbing her head.

“Furthermore, I saw that video at the hospital lobby… If someone wants to go to the conference room from the outside, they have to pass through the lobby.”

“Wh-Wh-What are you saying…!? I’m the killer…!? That’s impossible! There’s no way I could kill someone!” She cried out desperately, and Komaeda didn’t waste time to respond to her. Hinata could swear that exposing her crime was actually pretty satisfying to him, even more so when he considered the fact that Komaeda didn’t like this particular case… Well, he probably also wanted it over as soon as possible.

“It’s not literally impossible,” he said, giving her a mocking smile. “Can’t you give a better defense than that?”

The problem with her was that she didn’t even have to. All the other characters didn’t even believe that such a klutz could commit a murder… And Hinata could understand when they were coming from, but it was getting kind of awkward, watching Tsumiki cry while he was supposedly the one that made her cry. He had to tell himself again that they were only acting.

Honestly, it was like the first trial all over again. But worse.

“You’ve got it all wrong! Please, forgive me!” Tsumiki begged, crying realistically enough to make him feel terrible, but…

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can forgive you,” Komaeda replied, not smiling anymore. “I just can’t forgive this crime at all...”

So that’s where it was going to get even worse. The Komaeda vs. Tsumiki showdown. Hinata was preparing himself to hold his breath.

“Forgiveness or not… We still have not decided if she is the killer,” Sonia spoke up.

“Hmm… I see…” Komaeda hummed. “You guys are kind… If that’s the choice everyone makes, then the only thing I can do is back off, I guess… But is this really okay? Is it everyone’s hope?”

“B-But… I’m really… really not the killer…” Tsumiki muttered. “T-There’s no way… I’m capable of killing someone…”

“Is that really true…?” Hinata asked. He was slowly starting to have enough of this too.

And so, after Nanami’s beautiful speech about overcoming all doubts to believe their friends…

They finally reached that point.

“…Huh? Is that all you can say?” Tsumiki said in a deadpan voice, suddenly not crying anymore. She wiped her fake tears away with one hand, changing her expression to a one so unsettling that it actually made Hinata shiver. “Ah, so in the end you’re just a bunch of bullies, huh?”

She was scary. She was so good that it really was scary.

“Justifying your actions with fancy words… Making excuses for why it’s not your fault…” She continued, then went back to crying. “Everyone always treats me like that… Always… ‘It’s all her fault’… ‘She’s the one with the problem’. I’m done with that! You hear me!? I’m dooooone!”

That scene was just as dumfounding as Komaeda’s performance back then. Hinata was glad he wasn’t the first one to speak up after her, and he was pretty sure that everyone felt like that. They knew what to expect, but it was still shocking… Because it felt too real. As if she really was accusing someone.

Maybe she actually was. Someone from the past.

While still looking at her with wide eyes, he caught a glimpse of a  barely visible change in Komaeda’s expression. He knew it should worry him, but he didn’t have the time for it…

Because that’s when everything got serious.

***

Tsumiki really was phenomenal. She was screaming, crying and begging them to forgive her without a single mistake, faking tears and gesticulating in a way that it was hard to believe that it wasn’t for real. With a corner of his eye Hinata could notice Saionji staring at her open-mouthed. She was probably regretting ever bullying her. But…

Something was wrong. He could easily tell that something was definitely wrong. He always knew that playing Suzuki was putting a great deal of stress on Komaeda, but this trial seemed to exhaust him even more. Like... Someone would say one wrong word and he'd break.

Komaeda since the very beginning was the only one that wasn't really enjoying playing his role. He loved spending time with the rest of the group, and maybe had fun during some scenes, but when it came to showing that twisted side of his character, or that more tragic side… He hated it. He hated showing any weakness.

“I don’t understand… what you’re saying,” he told Tsumiki in a weak voice.

“You don’t understand? Is it because you don’t have anyone to love? Is it because you’re also someone who isn’t accepted by anyone?” She laughed in a much too cheerful way. Hinata once again was impressed, but… “What a pity. I feel sorry for you.”

It wasn't the right moment to be impressed. There was something more important.

Komaeda always had difficulty separating Suzuki's character from himself. Even Naegi told him so...

It was the first time he saw him so heartbroken. Usually he would just laugh it off later, saying that he's fine, but now he was staring at Tsumiki wide-eyed, biting his lower lip and looking as if he was holding back tears with all he had.

"Komaeda..." Hinata muttered, earning attention of the people standing closest to him. Nanami, Yukizome, and even Kuzuryuu looked at him with worried expressions without even hearing his voice.

Komaeda looked around in panic, taking some steps back. Everyone now was watching him.

"I... I'm sorry... I think... I need a short break..." he said, doing his best at hiding the cracks in his voice, but Hinata could easily hear them, and he was sure that it was the same for visibly worried Nanami. Finally, Komaeda left his spot by his barrier and turned away from them, running out of the room.

"Komaeda-kun!" Yukizome called out to him, but of course there was no answer. He was already gone.

"What the hell...?" Souda muttered, still starting at the door. "What's wrong with him...?"

Hinata and Nanami only exchanged knowing looks, then the pink-haired girl nodded. He understood what it meant.

_Go after him. Make sure he's fine._

"I'll..." Yukizome started, but Hinata interrupted her, already leaving his spot.

"I'll go. I can't leave him like this," he said with determination in his voice. Komaeda was important to him. He loved him. And he also promised Naegi to look after him... It was his time to act.

And so, he left the room to look for him.

***

“Is it my f-fault?" Tsumiki asked, falling out of her role and stuttering again. "D-did I do something wrong?"

"No..." Nanami hanged her head sadly. "Actually... You were amazing. Almost too amazing."

"Then what the hell just happened?!" Souda raised his voice. "This guy was nearly crying as he ran out of here, you know!"

"It's... complicated..." She replied, not really knowing what to say.

"What is so complicated that we can't know about it?!"

"Souda," Kuzuryuu spoke up, trying to stay calm. "Do us a favor and shut up."

"We are all confused, but I doubt getting angry will do any good..." Sonia said, looking somewhere on the ground. "But I am worried..."

"I dare to say that both of those mortals will regain their composure, my lady." Tanaka approached the blonde girl, trying to reassure her. "At last, they are each other’s closest companions.”

"Tanaka-san..." She smiled at him half-heartedly and took his hand.

Meanwhile Nanami was standing there, clenching her fists and feeling completely helpless. She knew there was no way for her to help. She didn't even know what was wrong with Komaeda, as none of them were eager to tell her, and she herself wasn't good at readings people’s emotions, but... She wished she could do anything. They both were her precious friends. The first friends she'd ever made. She loved them with her whole heart, but all she could do now was counting on Hinata...

She wanted to cry. She honestly wanted to cry, even though it was Komaeda who felt bad right now...

"It will be alright, Nanami-san." Yukizome put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but she didn't look all that convinced herself.

“What the hell is that…” Saionji muttered, standing up from her place on the bench and approached Tsumiki. “You were doing so great, and yet he had so ruin it…”

“Koizumi would smack you on the head for saying things like that,” Kuzuryuu said. “Leave him alone. He surely… has some problems.”

“Ibuki’s worried about him…” Mioda also stood up. “Well, it looks like Nagito-chan will always be Nagito-chan… But she wishes she could do something…”

“Sorry, Mioda, but I think Hinata will do better in this case.” Souda patted her on the head, refraining from making another mean comment. Maybe he noticed that it would only hurt those who were close to Komaeda… Or maybe he came to a conclusion that even if he didn’t like him, he didn’t deserve that.

"You know what, guys? I don't think we'll be able to do anything today," Owari stated suddenly.

"Eh? Why?" Tsumiki uttered.

"That guy totally broke down. It's obvious that even if Hinata talks to him, he won't be fine enough to go back to acting today." Owari moved her hand through her hair in the gesture of frustration. "Let's leave him in Hinata's hands, okay? He looked tired."

"Owari-san is right. If we can, we'll go back to this scene tomorrow... For now, let's just let Komaeda-kun rest,” Yukizome said gloomily, then left them in order to talk to the cameramen.

Nanami clenched her fists with even more force.

_I'm counting on you, Hinata-kun._

_***_

At first he didn't even know where he should look for him. Komaeda could go anywhere, and this building still seemed like a maze... The dressing room was a no, other rooms with the scenography were also a miss.

Finally he remembered the stairs leading to the cafe. There shouldn't be anyone right now, it was pretty late, so they were one of the last people in the building... Hinata directed his steps there, hoping that this time he'd find him.

And he was there. Sitting on one of the steps, curled into a ball and swaying back and forth.

"Komaeda?" He called his name quietly.

"Please, leave," he replied, sounding more exhausted than ever. "I don't want you to watch me in this pathetic state."

"Komaeda, look, it's fine." He tried again. "It's only me..."

"I ruined everyone's effort. Just like always," he muttered, pulling the white wig off his head and letting his unruly, brown hair cover his face. "Even when I'm trying not to cause trouble, I let everyone down... I really am a trash.”

"Nobody's angry at you..."

"I am!" He yelled, rising his head and showing him the tears in his eyes. "I'm so angry at myself for not being able to handle this that I don't even know how to describe it!"

Hinata suddenly felt at loss. He somewhat expected this. Maybe not the tears, but definitely some strong reaction… But it still hurt. He never had to console someone crying due to such a reason, and... It made him ridiculously sad.

_Komaeda is strong. Komaeda never cries, no matter how terrible he feels_. Hinata didn’t even know when he started thinking like that, but it was wrong. Komaeda may be strong, but it’s only normal to cry when someone feels hurt. It doesn’t make them weak.

No matter how scared he was of hurting him any more, he crouched down in front of him and narrowed the distance between them.

“Komaeda, look at me."

"I know that I'm only supposed to play," he said through tears, avoiding his gaze. "I know that I'm not him! I know this, but... but I also know... that I'm just like him! That's why it hurts so much!"

Hinata involuntarily reached forward to grab Komaeda by his shoulders and pulled him closer, embracing the sobbing boy gently. It seemed that he was so absorbed by the negative thoughts that he didn't even notice it.

"I know I'm weird!" He sobbed out into Hinata's shoulder. "I know that barely anyone wants to even deal with me, but... But I'm still human! No matter how hard I'm trying to pretend it's not true, I have feelings, and I can love too!"

"Of course you can, Komada," Hinata muterred, caressing his back. "I know about it."

"I just don't want anyone to suffer because of me! If having someone close means hurting them, then I prefer to be alone!" He continued, almost out of breath. "But I can love! I definitely... definitely can..."

"I know. And I'm sure everyone knows about it, too..." Hinata said, not knowing what else he could say.

Of course Komaeda could love. His feelings were hard to read sometimes, but from the very beginning it was obvious how much he treasured the Naegi siblings. Or how happy he was when he was with him and Nanami. Or even when they were holding hands… He was awkward, but his feeling were real and genuine.

"Sometimes I wonder if I also started crying and begging for forgiveness, I would gain something from it. I'm really trying my best here, Hinata-kun..." he muttered shakily, as if this whole anger suddenly left him, leaving only sadness. "But sometimes... It's just too much."

"That's why I'm here for. To help you through," he replied. “It’s okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes.”

Komaeda suddenly froze, as if finally understanding what is happening around him. It seemed that he even stopped breathing. Hinata immediately let go of him, afraid that he shouldn’t have done that, but…

"N-no..." Komaeda shook his head, leaning forward. "Don't... let go..."

So Hinata hugged him tightly once again, this time to feel slim hands grabbing at the shirt on his back. He simply let Komaeda cry into his shoulder while holding onto his shaking figure. He could only do this much for the person he loved…

After a while he finally started calming down. His rapid breathing slowed down, and the shaking faded, leaving him completely exhausted.

"Thank you, Hinata-kun," Komaeda whispered in a barely audible voice.

"You don't need to thank me," he replied, gently running his hand through Komaeda's messy, brown hair.

"No, I don't deserve to be treated like this..."

"You do. You're human, you have feelings, you can love and can show it. You deserve to be treated with kindness, Komaeda," he replied quietly, earning one more, muffled sob.

That's when he heard someone's footsteps. He wasn't sure if Komaeda heard them too, but...

"It's only me, Hinata-kun, Komaeda-kun." They heard Yukizome's dejected voice. "I wanted to tell you that we decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow. You don't have to worry about anything."

"Thank you, Yukizome-san," Hinata said, still not moving away from the other boy, who also didn't seem like he was about to let go. "Though I would like you to give us a moment."

"Of course." She nodded, but didn't move from her place. "I know it's a stupid question, but... is it going to be alright? Maybe I should call Naegi-kun?"

Hinata could fell Komaeda tightening the grip on his shirt.

"No," he mumbled. "Please, don't tell Makoto anything. I'm fine."

"You're not," Hinata sighed, gently pushing him away. "But you're going to be." He turned to Yukizome. The pained look on her face made it obvious that he wasn't the only one who cared about Komaeda. "Don't worry, Yukizome-san. There's no need to bother Naegi. I'll look after him."

"Are you sure?" She didn't look convinced.

"Yeah, I am. Komaeda, are you fine with staying with me?" Hinata asked to make sure, and Komaeda nodded, probably not trusting his voice yet.

"Then I'll leave you alone. I don't think I could be useful to you now," Yukizome said. "But please, contact Nanami-san later, okay? She was really worried."

"Sure. I would do it even if nobody told me to."

"I'm sorry."

None of them knew what she was apologizing for, but soon the sound of her footsteps disappeared into the distance.

“I-I should apologize to her…”

“No. There’s no need to,” Hinata said firmly. “I’m sure she also thinks she’s the one who should apologize.”

“But…”

“Have you already forgotten? She treats you as if you were her own kid,” he reminded him. “She only left you with me because she knows I’ll really take care of you.”

“Oh? You will?” Komaeda raised one eyebrow, giving him a questioning look, but soon sighed, as if all energy had left his body. “Nevermind… Now I’ve really done it. I just hope Makoto and Komaru will leave me alone today and won’t figure out anything.”

“They won’t, because you’re not going home today.”

“I’m not?”

“Don’t play dumb. There’s no way that I would leave you by yourself. It just doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Hinata explained. “So… You’re spending the night at my place. You’ll thank me later.”

“I don’t think it’s a good-“

“It IS a good idea,” he didn’t let him protest. “You need to learn that being a little selfish sometimes isn’t a crime. Just take advantage of the fact that you’re in a bad mood.”

“I don’t really want to do that. It’s not like me,” Komaeda replied quietly, but at the same time slowly leaned forward to hug him again. “So I’ll just go along with your idea and promise not to cause you any more trouble.”

“Do as you wish,” Hinata sighed, gently caressing his back. It seemed like Komaeda actually got the point and was only trying to justify himself in his own eyes, so it was fine. There was no use telling him that he didn’t have anything against some trouble… And generally no use arguing with him in this state.

“Hinata-kun?”

“Hmm?”

“I should’ve told you about it sooner, but I know you met with Makoto behind my back,” he said. “You two were pretty obvious.”

“Eh?!”

“I don’t hold it against you though,” Komaeda laughed softly. “At first I felt irritated, but, to be honest… You saved me a lot of trouble this way. I’m not good at complaining about my life.”

For a moment Hinata had no idea how to respond to this. He felt like kid who did something wrong and was caught in the act. There seemed to be only one thing he could say. “Sorry…”

“Like I said, it’s fine. I understand you did it for my sake. Look, I don’t think it was out of pity anymore! Isn’t that a great achievement? I think it is. It’s time for me to finally grow up, isn’t it?” Komaeda said, but it looked like he was just talking for the sake of talking.

“Whatever. Let’s just get out of here. Or maybe you want to spend the night here?”

“Not really.”

***

As much as Nanami wanted to just go and ask if everything’s fine, she decided to settle for calling them later. She was sure that Hinata wouldn’t let Komaeda just simply go home after this, and it was the only thing that convinced her to step back this time. Hinata would deal with this situation better than her awkward self.

When she left her now lonely dressing room someone called out her name.

“N-Nanami-san!” Tsumiki ran up to her, visibly relieved. “I’m glad you haven’t left yet! I… I-I need to ask you a favor!”

“Huh?” Nanami muttered in surprise. The other girl definitely wasn’t a person to ask for anything too often… “What is it, Tsumiki-san?”

“P-Please… Tell Komaeda-san that I’m by no means upset by anything that happened today!”

Nanami just tilted her head, even more surprised. “…huh?”

“I’m worried that he’ll blame himself a-and t-think that he ruined something for me… since everyone was s-saying that it’s my big day, and stuff like that…” Tsumiki explained. “But it’s not like that! I don’t want h-him to feel bad about it!”

“Tsumiki-san…”

“I…I did my best today. And I t-think I did pretty well, for someone like me… So I’m satisfied with that,” she added. “All that’s left is to finish everything tomorrow. N-Nothing bad happened. It’s all fine… So I want you to tell him that, please!”

“But… Why me?” Nanami asked hesitantly.

“B-Because you are you.” Tsumiki smiled at her. “His friend. It’ll be easier f-for him to believe it.”

So there were things only she could do. She wasn’t completely helpless.

“Okay. I’ll tell him.” Nanami nodded in response. “By the way, Tsumiki-san… You were amazing today.”

“E-Eh?” The girl seemed slightly abashed, blushing as she pushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. She was most likely going to cut it soon to make it even again, since her role was almost over… “T-Thank you, Nanami-san…”

“I really mean it. It was a bit unexpected… but at the same time really impressive.”

“That’s only because I can understand how she felt,” Tsumiki muttered, suddenly turning more serious. “Being pushed around and laughed at, even though you haven’t done anything wrong… I understand it all. Anyone would finally have enough.”

“Tsumiki-san…?”

“I’m fine now though.” She gave her another smile, but couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice. “I-I’m not alone. People are n-nice to me, and nobody blames me for anything. I think… I think I’m a happy person now.”

Without a word, Nanami moved closer to her and hugged her, not even knowing why. She just had some vague idea that a hug from a friend is supposed to feel warm and comforting. And also thought that Tsumiki probably needed it, since Saionji most likely wouldn’t give it to her.

The other girl froze for a moment, then hesitantly hugged her back.

***

“And what I am supposed to do now?!” Chisa yelled into her phone, not even caring if the person on the other side could hear her clearly.

“Calm down! Stop shouting or I’ll hang up!”

“But Juuzo!” She whined. “You’re my friend, don’t ignore me!”

“Listen, Chisa, I’m not good at dealing with kids. How do you expect me to help you?” He sighed in response.

“Actually, I don’t. I just wanted you to listen to me.”

“I’m hanging up.”

“No, wait! I’m really worried this time! What should I do? I feel so useless!” Chisa exclaimed, nearly crying from frustration. “I was supposed to support these kids with all I have!”

“For god’s sake, they’re almost adults. Let them deal with their shit on their own of they’ll think you’re overprotective.”

“They’re children, Juuzo. You even said so a moment ago. My kids have problems and I don’t know how to help them!”

“Chisa, you don’t actually have kids, so calm down-“

“They’re all my kids now! Do I have to show you adoption documents for you to accept it?”

“I see that you’re not sad anymore, if you can argue with me like this,” he pointed out. “Just wait until tomorrow. Maybe you’re panicking for nothing.”

“Maybe… But I can’t help but do it. A gloomy guy like you would never understand it.”

“Lucky me. I hope your kids are going to be fine so you don’t bother me with them anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah, uncle Juuzo.”

And so, without another word, he hung up. Maybe she went overboard this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm- I'm sorry
> 
> To be honest, I had a part of this chapter written ever since the summer break, since it was the point I wanted to reach since like forever. And I managed to do it, even though I could probably do better at writing it... (I'm bad at being serious. I really am)
> 
> Thank you for reading, and thank you for your comments, they mean a lot to me!


	26. What's really important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent like 6 hours trying to finish writing this chapter but guys, I had so much fun

 “Komaeda… Can you let go of my hand?” Hinata asked him hesitantly as they approached his house. For a moment Komaeda froze, not comprehending the question, but then let go, just as he was asked to.

“Of course,” he muttered, knowing that he had no reason to feel hurt, but his brain wasn’t listening to him.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that,” Hinata said with a frown. “I have absolutely nothing against doing it, and you know about it. It’s just… It would be difficult to explain to my parents, and they are probably home by now…”

Oh. So that was all…?

It was so hard to get used to all the affection Hinata was showing to him. He immediately assumed that he did something wrong, and-

He shook his head, trying to chase those thoughts away. He was supposed to be selfish tonight, not doubting all of his moves. The purpose of going with Hinata was to make himself feel better. Everything was all right.

Except for the fact that earlier he started crying for the first time in a while. It was a surprise even to him… It was another thing that wasn't 'like him'. Though he seemed to be doing a lot of those things lately. He didn't know what 'like him' meant anymore.

Hinata's house was much smaller than his own, but it was obvious that more than one person lived there. There was more shoes near the entrance, more clothes on the clothes hanger standing nearby... And most of all, the lights were on, signaling that someone was already home.

"I'm back," Hinata said without much enthusiasm, making his mom stick her head out of the kitchen.

"Welcome back, Haji-" she stopped mid-sentence. "Hello, Nagito-kun. What brings you here?"

"He's going to stay the night. Don't worry, you won't even notice he's here," Hinata explained to her, and Komaeda thought that it wouldn't have hurt him to be a little nicer sometimes.

"Sorry for intrusion, Hinata-san," he said, forcing himself to smile. "I live by myself. Something happened and I didn't want to go home, so Hinata-kun offered to let me stay..."

"Ah, don't worry, I don't have anything against it. I'm glad Hajime is growing up to be a kind person," she laughed. "You can stay, of course. Make yourself at home."

"See? I told you she wouldn't protest," Hinata commented. "It's a proof that I actually have friends and I'm not an anti-social freak."

"Like always, you exaggerate things." His mom ruffled his hair, earning an annoyed look from her son. "Okay, have fun, boys. Don't stay up too late, you need sleep to be able to perform your duties."

"Yeah, yeah. Good night, mom," Hinata sighed, grabbing him by his wrist and pulling towards the stairs. Komaeda assumed his room was on the second floor. “My house isn’t big enough to need a sightseeing trip. The bathroom is next to my room… And there’s really nothing else to see.”

“I think it’s a nice house. The bigger a house is, the emptier it seems…” he replied, not even realizing that it sounded quite sad. Thankfully Hinata didn’t say a word.

His room was also smaller than Komaeda’s, but it didn’t feel cramped at all – there was just enough space to make it cozy. He looked around with curiosity, at first glance noticing some stuff from Danganronpa’s merch, as well as some of the most popular shounen mangas lying around. Hinata could be quite predictable when it comes to things like that… But it’s not like it was something bad, Makoto usually also stuck to the most popular stuff. There were also some of their group photos hanging on the wall above the desk.

“You can put your bag on the bed. I planned to let you sleep there anyway. Sorry, there’s not enough room on the floor to lay two futons out…”

“Eh?  Wait, there’s no way I can take your bed, let me sleep on the floor-“ Komaeda was ready to protest, but Hinata’s smile effectively shut him up.

“You’re a guest, and that means you get the bed. Be happy, I wouldn’t volunteer to sleep on the floor for just anyone,” he said, and Komaeda only managed to mutter ‘okay’ in response.

He could probably say that he was being spoiled at the moment. It felt weird… but at the same time strangely nice.

When he was still looking around the room, Hinata’s phone rang.  He excused himself and answered it, and since he greeted that person with ‘yeah, Nanami?’ it was obvious who he was talking to. “Komaeda, for you.”

“Me? Why is she calling you if she wants to talk to me?”

“I don’t know, ask her.”

“Okay, I’m going to.” He took the phone from Hinata moved it to his ear, sitting down on the bed. “Hello, Nanami-san. Why are you calling Hinata-kun if you want to talk to me?”

“I heard the question even without you having to repeat it…” She replied. “There was a bigger chance he'd answer…I think.”

“And what would you want from me?”

“I have a message… from Tsumiki-san,” Nanami stated, making him frown. He didn’t want to think about Tsumiki right now. There would be too many things to prevent him from having a peaceful evening. “She asked me to tell you not to worry about anything.”

“…what?”

“Exactly what I’m saying, Komaeda-kun… Tsumiki-san wanted me to assure you that you don’t have to feel guilty. She said that she performed the way she wanted… and she’s satisfied with that. She wants you to feel better soon.”

“Well, this is kind of… unexpected?” Komaeda laughed. “I was sure she’d be mad…”

 “She predicted that… Tsumiki-san is a really nice person, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is,” he confirmed, smiling to himself. It’s the second time Tsumiki went out of her way just to reassure him somehow. It wasn’t by any means her fault that he couldn’t handle the pressure. She just played her role, and yet… “I really appreciate that.”

“That’s what I wanted to say… Ah, and have fun at Hinata-kun’s place. Make a good use of this chance,” she said.

“Chance for what?”

“Hmm… I don’t know? Use your head, Komaeda-kun. Get him to call you by your first name… Use some trick to sleep in the same bed as him…”

“What are you even saying, Nanami-san?!”

“Eh… That’s what I get for cheering on you…” She yawned loudly. “Anyway, I wish you luck… Good night.”

“Good night…”

He handed the device back to Hinata, struggling not to look embarrassed. Nanami really was good at coming up with her blunt statements…

“Is everything alright?” Hinata asked.

“Yeah, more than I thought so.” Komaeda nodded in response. “I feel… weirdly at peace now.”

“Maybe you actually needed to let this all out. Sometimes you really feel better after doing it,” he said. “It’s not good to bottle up your feelings, you know?”

“I’m not doing it on purpose.” Komaeda shrugged. “I just got used to doing this over time.”

“Yeah, yeah. But if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, you can count on me. Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

***

He didn’t mean to wander around Hinata’s house, but sleeping in his bed was really a little too much for him. For god’s sake, it smelled like him, how the hell was he supposed to do it?

In the end, he slipped out of the room, ready to make an excuse that he needed to use the bathroom in case Hinata woke up, but luckily it wasn’t necessary – he was sleeping soundly in the futon on the floor.

He went down the stairs and somehow ended up in the living room, in front of the balcony door. Hinata once mentioned he often came there when talking with him on the phone… He unconsciously moved closer and opened the door, letting the cold air inside, then decided he might as well go outside at this point. At least he wouldn’t have to hold the door open.

It was a rather cold night, so he definitely wouldn’t be able to stay there for long, but he leaned on the barrier anyway, looking around. The neighborhood was very quiet at this hour… Well, normal people were probably sleeping. He also should’ve been asleep, he was tired after all…

He stood there for a moment before hearing someone’s footsteps.

“What are you doing here? Come back inside…” Hinata muttered, then yawned, appearing beside Komaeda on the balcony. He folded his hands on his chest with a frown. “Damn, it’s cold here…”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Komaeda laughed, but didn’t move from his place. “It’s so peaceful though…”

“Yeah…” He nodded. “Can’t fall asleep?”

“Kind of. You know, a lot of things happened…”

“I know.” Hinata moved his hands to the barrier and closed them around it. “Not only today. A lot of things happened, in general.”

“Yhm. So many that I wouldn’t even know where to start if I were to tell someone about them,” Komaeda admitted, not even surprised by the fact that he sounded unfazed. He was back to his usual tone. “That’s why I’m actually glad you already know everything. I always wanted to be honest with you, without hiding anything. It doesn’t matter how you learned about everything.”

“If you say so,” he replied, but still sounded unsure of that. “But I never really knew what I should do with that knowledge.”

“I never wanted you to do anything.” Komaeda gave him a smile that was more than less genuine. “You know, Hinata-kun… I never liked to make it look like my life was some sort of disaster. To be honest, I actually don’t think it was, but… Now I can admit that I went through some pretty shitty things. Some people would probably give on everything if they were me. Maybe they would even wish to die… But I’m not like that. I could never imagine completely giving up. I believed I would find something that would be worth living for.”

“Komaeda…”

“Ahahah, sorry, now I really sound as if I were the most unhappy person in the world. I’m not really unhappy, I swear,” he tried to assure Hinata after seeing his dejected face. “Like you said, a lot of things happened. Not all of them were sad things.”

“But the sad things still happened…”

“They are in the past.” Komaeda moved slightly to the side, so their shoulders were touching. “And you seem more worried about them than me.”

“I can’t help it! I w-“ It seemed that he wanted to say something, but fell silent in midsentence. “Nevermind.”

“The fact that you care about me so much is one of those happy things.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t exactly just throw away everything I wish didn’t happen, so sometimes it comes back when I least expect it… But I’ve moved on. Just like I thought, life is not as terrible as it seemed just a while ago.”

His way of thinking was probably hard to understand for someone like Hinata, whose personality differed a lot from his own. They also led different lives up till now, and encountered different people. Now that he thought about it, on the surface it might’ve appeared that they didn’t have much in common… But they had. They definitely had. The fact that they got that far was a proof of that.

For a moment they just kept staring at each other, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. They couldn’t look away even after it began to get a little awkward – probably because they both wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to put it.

 _Just take the risk and say it,_ something in his head was whispering. _Say that you love him. You may not get another chance like this._

It was an easy thing to think, but harder to turn into reality. He didn’t want to back out on the last possible moment, so maybe it was better to keep quiet for a while longer…

“Hey, Komaeda…” In the end, Hinata was the one to break the silence, placing his hand over his own. It was enough to make his heart race and his mind go blank. He couldn’t have known what Hinata was thinking. It was him who was imagining too much. That’s what he would usually tell himself, but it was difficult in a situation like this. It could only be interpreted one way.

“Y-yeah?” He uttered, suddenly realizing how close they were. Close enough to-

_No, no, no. Stop right here, Nagito Komaeda._

“You know, I…”

“You still not asleep, boys?”

He could swear Hinata nearly got a heart attack when they heard his mother’s voice. She was standing in the doorway, holding two blankets in her hands.

“It’s cold outside. You’ll catch a cold,” she said, totally oblivious to the fact that she just interrupted something possibly important. She came a little closer and threw the blankets over their backs, forcing them to hold them so they didn’t fall. “You need to take care of yourselves, you know. You won’t be able to do your job if you get sick.”

For a second Hinata stared at her with wide eyes, but then… he actually smiled. “Thanks, mom.”

“No problem, Hajime,” she replied. “Don’t stay here for too long, you need sleep. Good night.”

“Good night,” Komaeda said, not to seem like some gloomy guy.

“Man, she really has some great timing,” Hinata sighed after she left. “But she’s right about one thing. We should go to sleep.”

“She’s a nice person.”

“You’re probably right… Though we she doesn’t really feel like a mother to me. Sometimes we barely see each other for five minutes for a whole day. And it’s the same with my dad,” he replied.

“When my parents were still alive it wasn’t much different,” Komaeda stated, earning a surprised glance. “People are busy these days. And, to be honest, back then I was pretty happy I had so much freedom.”

“…”

“I’m sure your parents care about you, Hinata-kun. Expressing it is a different thing though,” he laughed awkwardly.

“Makes sense. Anyway, I’m going to sleep. You also should,” Hinata said. He was already by the door when Komaeda stopped him.

“Wait. Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Can I use your first name from now on?”

“Huh?!” He turned back to him faster than he would’ve expected of someone who was supposed to be tired. “Why so suddenly?!”

“I don’t know.” Komaeda shrugged. “Your mom called you like that a moment ago. I just thought that it’s a nice name and I want to use it too.”

“I-If you really want, then I don’t mind,” the other boy exclaimed, but stuttered anyway. Komaeda regretted that it was too dark to see if he was blushing. It would be cute.

“Hajime.”

“W-what?”

“Nothing, Hajime.”

“Now you’re just making fun of me.”

“I just really like the way it sounds.”

“Okay, now’s my turn!” Hinata said firmly, but his confidence faltered a second later. “N-Nagito.”

“You stuttered.”

“Shut up, I didn’t!”

“You definitely did.”

And then, they both began to laugh, what wasn’t even that much of an unexpected thing. Not only Komaeda felt as if he just got rid of something heavy and made a step forward.

It really was a peaceful night. Much more than the day.

*** 

Hinata was so close to telling him that he loved him. Closer than ever. Hell, he probably would’ve done that if it hadn’t been for his mother. She really had an amazing timing sometimes…

But damn, it seemed like the right moment. And he missed an opportunity like that…

“Hajime?” Komaeda whispered his name from the bed level. It still was embarrassing to have him call him by his first name, but he could get used to that.

“Go to sleep.”

“I’m trying, but… Can I also sleep on the floor?”

“Hmm?”

“You know, Nanami-san says that it’s not a sleepover unless you sleep next to each other,” he said, and Hinata already knew what were the pink-haired girl’s intentions. It wasn’t hard to come to a conclusion that she was just teasing them, even if from afar. And he might even go along with that.

Hinata sighed, and moved a little to make some place next to himself. “There’s no room for another futon, and I’m too tired to even go look for one, so… Just come here.”

Komaeda probably didn’t expect him to agree, but also didn’t waste time to get out of the bed and lie down next to him. Well, how it was any different from all those times they fell asleep next to each other…?

Well, maybe it was a little different. They definitely had a lot less personal space this time, and it was making him somewhat nervous.

“Are you happy now?” He whispered to the other, turning away from him to avoid awkwardness.

“Yeah,” Komaeda chuckled. “I can’t believe you agreed to this.”

“Whatever. Go to sleep.”

“Yhm,” he uttered, but at the same time he cuddled against his back. “You’re warm. Even though we just were outside…”

Now it definitely weren’t conditions he was able to fall asleep in. Komaeda was doing it on purpose. He almost definitely was.

Hinata wanted to make some comment about it, but… It seemed that he actually was wrong this time, as the other boy didn’t say or do anything else. His breathing was calm and regular, as if he really was about to fall asleep.

“Hey, Komaeda… Are you a happy person? Or no?” Hinata whispered a question, not even knowing why.

“If I had to choose, I would say I’m more happy than not. Well, I’m definitely not unhappy. And being with you makes me really, really happy,” he replied softly, in a sleepy voice, and  Hinata just couldn’t help but find it extremely endearing. That cautious, withdrawn guy with a fake smile he met a few months ago somehow seemed like a different person than that affectionate, puppy-like boy he turned out to be. Not being able to stop himself, he turned to the other side, to face him, and gently pulled him into a hug.

“…Hajime?” Komaeda muttered in surprise, but without any intentions of protesting. He only shifted slightly, to make their embrace more comfortable.

It would be so easy to just say ‘I love you’. He didn’t even know what he was waiting for anymore.

“Good night, Nagito.”

“Good night.”

***

Nanami came to a conclusion that trying to get two characters together was way more fun when you don’t have to identify with one of them. As much as she was uninterested in dating sims, making the small choices she was capable of when it came to Hinata and Komaeda was quite enjoyable.

Especially when she could clearly see that it was working and their route was progressing smoothly. Yesterday she was so worried about them, but after talking with Komaeda on the phone she calmed down a bit… And after meeting them the next morning she knew she didn’t have to worry anymore.

“Ohoho? Hajime-chan and Nagito-chan look pretty happy today, and the day is only starting,” Mioda commented when they were waiting for their train. “Ibuki hopes it’ll stay like this.”

“…what are you even doing here, Mioda?”

“Come on, Hajime-chan, it’s Sunday! Ibuki isn’t going to stay at home when she can spend this day with her friends!” She exclaimed, seemingly offended by his question, though Nanami learned how to read her friends well enough to know that Mioda also wanted to check on them without making it too obvious.

“So, when are you going to start studying so you can catch up on the material? You’re going to have to repeat a year.”

“So mean! Have mercy, Hajime-chan!”

“I have. Though now it’s me who’s counting on you with all the school stuff,” he replied, surprising the girl.

“Ehm… Hajime-chan should know that Ibuki isn’t the most reliable person he knows…”

While they were bantering, Nanami looked at Komaeda, who was laughing at this silly scene. He seemed to be fine…

“So… How did it go, Komaeda-kun?” She asked him quietly, trying not to attract Mioda and Hinata’s attention.

“Eh? What?” He tried to play oblivious.

“You know what I mean…” Nanami tilted her head, expecting a real answer. “How is your love life…? I mean, is there any progress?”

“N-No, there isn’t,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Look, Nanami-san, it’s our train!”

For a moment she thought he was just trying to fool her so wouldn’t ask any more questions, but he was actually saying the truth. Yet again, Nanami was forced to acknowledge how fearsome his luck was.

But she wasn’t going to give up, no. She only let him go until they arrived at the building.

Mioda went straight to the restaurant room, since she didn’t have to change into her costume anymore, and so did Hinata, claiming he was going to say hello to the others. It meant Nanami and Komaeda got left in the hallway alone.

“You’re not going to run away from me,” she said as firmly as someone with her soft voice could. “You know… Just like Mioda-san said, you both seem pretty happy today… Could it be…  Hinata-kun finally made a move?”

“W-What? No, nobody was making any moves here,” Komaeda protested. “Me and Hajime just talked about some stuff, that’s all…”

“…Hajime?” Nanami noticed that change right away. Not ‘Hinata-kun’. ‘Hajime’. “So you listened to my advice after all…”

“I-It’s not like that!” He said, his face turning into a pretty shade of pink. “It just… happened. And Hajime didn’t have anything against it, so…”

“You’re saying his name an awful lot now,” she pointed out. “I think… you really like the way it sounds…”

“Well, I do…” Komaeda scratched his cheek awkwardly. “It’s like getting a little closer to the final goal…”

“…was there any sleeping in the same bed?” Nanami asked, and when the boy nodded she showed him a thumb up. “You’re going to reach the happy ending.”

“Are you playing a real-life BL game?”

“You could say so…” She admitted. “Are you still not ready to confess?”

“I think I have enough courage by now.” Komaeda gave her a smile. “I just have to come up with some plan. Thanks for always supporting me… Chiaki.”

Nanami’s face instantly lit up after she heard the last word. Last time Komaru’s idea didn’t work out, but today was the right day.

“I’ll continue doing it, Nagito.”

***

“Hello, big bro Hinata, big sis Mioda, ready for another day full of drama?” Saionji asked them as soon as they entered the room. He could swear that they had already missed something if that was her way of greeting them.

“Never,” he replied. “I’ve never been particularly fond of the kind of drama you mean.”

“What a shame,” she snickered. “Big sis Mahiru and big sis Sato came with us today. Do you think Natsumi Kuzuryuu will appear too?”

“Awful as always,” Mitarai commented. “When did you start being so fond of Natsumi?”

“Me? Fond of Natsumi? As if,” Saionji snarked. “But after she stopped being so mean she became quite fun to tease.”

“Look who’s saying,” Souda sighed. “Speaking of drama, where’s the true drama queen?”

“Nagito already went to the dressing room,” Hinata said, unaware of the consequences of his words.

“Nagito?!” Mioda and Kuzuryuu, who just entered the room, yelled simultaneously. Before the girl could do or say anything else, Kuzuryuu grabbed Hinata by his wrist and dragged the confused boy away from the rest.

“What did I miss since yesterday?” He asked him in a loud whisper, probably trying not to shout in his usual way. “Are you guys together yet?”

“What? No-“

“But there HAS TO be some progress, am I right? You can tell me, Hinata,” he said, putting his hand around his shoulder.

“What’s gotten into you? We just switched to first name basis…”

“You are so fucking slow that even this can be counted as progress, you dumbass!” Kuzuryuu raised his voice, but quickly realized his mistake after looking over his shoulder. “Well, at least it seems that everything is fine, right?”

“Pretty much?”

“Cool. Komaeda is a good guy, so I’m glad he’s okay.” It was a rather unexpected thing for him to say, since he claimed he’s not much of his fan… But some time had passed since then. Maybe something had changed. “Take good care of him, Hinata.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Just because. Also, you’re making him wait. It’s been so long since me and Peko got together, really. Tell him you love him already or I’m going to kick your ass.”

“That was not a part of the deal-“

“The rules changed, you idiot.”

“Give me some time, okay? I have a plan!” Hinata exclaimed. He wasn’t particularly scared of Kuzuryuu actually kicking his ass, but there was some truth in his words. There was a chance he really was making Komaeda wait.

“You better have one,” he huffed in response, ready to end this conversation here and walk away, but turned back to say one more thing. “Good luck, Hinata.”

“Uhm… Thanks?”

“What was that all about?” Souda asked immediately after they returned to the group.

_Oh thanks god. Oblivious as ever._

“Not your fucking business,” Kuzuryuu replied. “I was giving him some advice.”

_You threatened me, that’s what you did._

“Anyway, we were talking about Komaeda,” Souda continued. “Are we going to get some explanations?”

“Hinata-san and Komaeda-san do not owe us any explanations,” Sonia said, and Hinata was honestly thankful for her thoughtfulness. “If everything turned out to be fine, then I am glad.”

“Are you all really okay with that?” Souda didn’t let go of that topic. “I know you all think I’m so stubborn because I don’t like him, but man, I’ve known him long enough to get at least a little worried. And we never even learn anything because Hinata is always here to defend him. You understand what I mean?”

“Kind of,” Owari spoke up for the first time since Hinata arrived there. “We don’t know anything about him. I mean, he’s okay. I don’t remember him ever not being nice to me, but… ya know.”

“I get what you mean,” Hinata sighed. “But those are things he didn’t want to talk about even with me. He went through a lot of things, but he’s trying his best to left them behind. So… Please, just treat him kindly.”

“No problem here!” Mioda said happily, completely ignoring the serious atmosphere. “Nagito-chan is just Nagito-chan. You know, he’s like that weird mysterious cousin everyone haves. Weird, but still a family.”

“Well said,” Tanaka agreed with her. “We have no other choice but to accept it.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Even Saionji nodded. “Everybody should just chill. It wasn’t even that surprising anymore.”

“To sum up, everyone cares about Komaeda-kun in their own way.” Yukizome said, entering the room. “I watched the material we filmed yesterday with the rest of the crew, and we found a right moment to cut that scene without having to repeat it. We’ll just start from another one of Tsumiki-san’s lines.”

“What a relief,” mentioned girl sighed. “I-I don’t think anyone would like to repeat it…”

“Whatever you say,” Souda muttered, apparently still not satisfied with the outcome of this conversation. “I’m outta here. Call me when you’re ready to start.”

“Souda-san?” Sonia called out to him, but he didn’t even glance at her and really left. “Why is he like this…?”

“Leave this to Ibuki, she will handle this!” Mioda exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves. “This is where her time comes!”

And so, she left after Souda, not worried in the slightest. Maybe she really was made of positive energy.

“What is she going to do?” Kuzuryuu raised one of his brows, giving them a questioning look, and Hinata just shrugged.

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

***

Ibuki didn’t even have to look for him. She just straight out chased after him until he finally stopped in the courtroom.

“Why are you going after me? I didn’t say anything about needing a companion!” He finally snapped, but that just caused her to grin at him.

“Yeah, you didn’t, but you were upset about something, so Ibuki decided to find out what was it,” she replied. She perfectly knew Kazuichi wasn’t a person to be actually mad about people accepting Nagito. He didn’t mean any harm, even though sometimes it really seemed like he hated his guts.

But no, Ibuki knew it wasn’t like this. Just like a few years ago she knew Hajime was the right person to befriend. You could say that she had a nose for people.

“Why do you even bother?” Kazuichi asked her. “It’s not that important. I’ll be back in some minutes…”

“But it is important.” She frowned and circled him to face him. “Ibuki doesn’t want you to feel ignored. She wants to know what bothers her friend, so just, tell her?”

For a moment his eyes widened, but then he looked away. “You’re not just pretending you’re interested in my problems, aren’t ya?”

“Ibuki would never!”

“I just… It’s really immature, so you can laugh if you want,” he finally said. “I guess sometimes I get a little envious about the fact that there’s always someone who’d defend Komaeda, no matter how strange he gets. There’s Hinata, Nanami, Yukizome-san… Always ready to play the role of his lawyers. I’m not saying that to criticize them, I get that they care about him. But I know that nobody would do that for me.”

“Ibuki is sure that there were times when nobody would’ve done it for Nagito-chan either,” she replied, feeling a sting to her heart at that thought. “That’s why they’re like this. They don’t want him to feel lonely ever again.”

“Well, I guess it’s great that he found someone like this,” Kazuichi stated. “But what about me? Am I always going to be a pushover who ends up having to adjust himself to others? You know, when I was in middle school I even dyed my hair and started wearing contacts to seem cooler, but it turned out not even changing my looks would attract the right people… And I didn’t even want to look like this, it’s so fake... Hah, what am I even complaining about? It seems that I changed the topic…”

“No, it’s still the same topic,” Ibuki said. “Kazuichi-chan just wants someone who he can trust. Someone to accept him. It’s something everyone wants.”

“…”

“Listen, Kazuichi-chan. Ibuki rarely gets serious, but she’ll do an exception here. You know what’s really important in friendship?”

“How can I know? Everyone always betrays me.”

“It’s being honest and being true to yourself. Real friends don’t force you to change yourself, they accept you. Look, Ibuki has dyed hair too. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with your appearance, it doesn’t make you any less of ‘yourself’. People are constantly changing, and it’s okay. Also, there’s another thing Kazuichi-chan is wrong about.”

“What is it now?” He asked, looking more confused than ever. It was probably the first time Ibuki Mioda gave somebody a lecture after all.

“Ibuki might enjoy teasing Kazuichi-chan a lot, but if he really needed that, she would defend him as if her life depended on that.” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the face he made after hearing her words.

“Wha-Wha-What-“

“Ibuki wanted to give Hajime-chan some time to do it before her, but it seems that she’ll have to act first…”

“Give Hinata time for what?”

_Oblivious as ever._

“Nothing, really,” she laughed again. She even liked that part of him. “Ekhem. Ibuki might not be a princess or any kind of high-class lady, but… She really likes Kazuichi-chan a lot.”

For a moment he seemed to have frozen in his place.

“Wait, you mean like-“

“Like like.”

“Is that a-“

 “Yeah, a confession.”

“WHAT THE FUCK,” he cried out, not able to comprehend the new piece of information, so Ibuki just walked up to him, stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“That the fuck,” she said, watching him turn redder than a tomato. Even his ears were red. “Kazuichi-chan? Are you okay?”

“I-I-If I like you b-back, does that make u-us a c-cop…” He stuttered, not even able to finish his sentence.

“A couple? Hmm, Ibuki thinks so?”

“HOLY SHIT.” Kazuichi pulled her into a quick hug, then ran out of the room as if it was on fire. Ibuki, a little confused ran after him to discover that he went back to the restaurant room, where everyone else was waiting for them. “HOLY SHIT, GUYS, I THINK I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!”

“Hello.” Ibuki waved at them from behind his back.

“I don’t know what happened and why the hell did it progress this way, but… Congratulations?” Hajime said with a frown, trying to connect the dots.

“I don’t even know if I should laugh or cry,” Hiyoko added.

“And here I was, wondering where they went,” Nekomaru mused. “I thought they went to take a shit.”

“Stop being gross in a moment like this,” Mahiru huffed from her place by the table. “Congratulations, Ibuki-chan, Souda… And by the way, it means I won the second place.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I won the first place!” Natsumi shouted from across the room.

“Yes, but you also said that neither of us could make a move,” Sato, who was sitting next to her girlfriend, replied, and when Mahiru turned in her direction for a moment she gave her a short peck on the lips, making her blush furiously and turning her ability to speak off. “So who’s the real winner here? Also, from what I know, you’re still single.”

“S-Shut up! I don’t need anyone, I’m fine with being single! And if I wanted, I could easily find myself someone!”

“Why do you mock single people… Why…” Chisa muttered, but probably nobody aside from the people standing close to her could hear it. Chiaki just put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, mom… You’re still young, I think…”

And just like that, the big news had drown in a wave of yells and laughter. Ibuki just took Kazuichi’s hand to see his embarrassment once again, thinking how amazing it was that they were able to just keep going back to having fun like this, no matter what happened.

***

  
After saying her final line Tsumiki simply breathed out in relief. She was sad it was the end of her role, but at the same glad that this trial was over. Thankfully today they only had to finish it, so there wasn’t a lot of work.

She was convinced she put all of her heart into her acting, and that she did a great job. Nobody could take that satisfaction away from her, because… It was honestly one of the most self-esteem-building things she had ever done, and the impressed looks on her friends’ faces were only giving her more courage for the future.

Everyone kept telling her how amazing her performance was, but… To be honest, there was one person she wanted to praise her the most. And it was easy to figure out who it was.

“Hey… Dumb Tsumiki,” Saionji called out to her while she was trying to calm herself down after everything was over.

“Y-yes?”

“I guess I have to say it, because it would be stupid of me not to say anything,” she muttered reluctantly. “You did well. I really enjoyed watching you yesterday and today, so… keep it up, you're really good.”

For a moment Tsumiki couldn’t believe that it was actually real. Saionji changed her attitude towards her almost drastically during the time they’d spent in the studio, but… It was still hard to believe she would say something like this.

She didn’t even notice when she began to cry. She just found herself sniffing and trying hard not to start sobbing. Those weren’t tears of sadness though. She was purely, genuinely happy about that praise, even though she got called ‘dumb’.

“Wait, why are you crying!?” Saionji raised her voice, apparently confused. “Don’t tell me you want me to hug you, like big sis Nanami and big bro Hinata did to big bro Komaeda? Or like big bro Kuzuryuu and big sis Pekoyama!?”

Tsumiki shook her head. “N-No. I-I’m just happy… Thank y-you so much…”

“S-Stop it… If you keep crying over something so stupid, I’m going to cry too…” Saionji said weakly, already having tears in her eyes. Even if Tsumiki stopped crying, it would still be too late for her.

She couldn’t even tell how it happened, but they ended up sitting on the floor, bawling like babies while holding onto each other. They didn’t even feel the need to say anything – this one time, they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Everyone else was probably even more surprised than earlier that day.

“What’s with this weirdly emotional day…” Pekoyama commented quietly, watching the two crying girls.

 “I don’t know, but… I can’t say anything bad about it,” Koizumi laughed. “I’m glad I could be here to watch this. If you had finished filming the trial yesterday, I would’ve missed so much.” 

“You can probably thank Nagito for that…” Nanami pointed out. The boy just shrugged.

“I’m telling you, it was luck again. Bad one, then good one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S ALREADY PAST MIDNIGHT IN MY COUNTRY. IT'S SATURDAY. I'M LATE FOR THE FIRST TIME  
> Anyway, did someone expect this chapter to look like this? If no, then good, because that was the whole point~  
> But really, this is probably one of my favourite chapters out of those 26, so I hope you also enjoyed it at least a little!  
> As always, thank you for all your comments!! They always give me so much joy and make my day better. I know I keep saying it, but that's the truth~


	27. Never let a band of teenagers into an amusement park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just pretend it's still Friday and I'm not a lazy ass, please---

 

“An amusement park?” Nidai raised one of his thick eyebrows, giving Yukizome a questioning look.

“Yes, an amusement park!” The director exclaimed happily. “It’s another surprise we’ve prepared for you!”

“But an amusement park? How the hell do you rent an amusement park? It’s impossible!” Souda exclaimed, looking at her with disbelief written on his face. Almost everyone was giving her that look.

“Oh, it’s not like we've rented a whole amusement park. We only convinced the owner to let us borrow some areas. We’ll only be able to use them during filming, but come on, isn’t it better to shoot chapter four scenes in an actual amusement park rather than in the studio?” Yukizome explained to them.

“Well… There is some logic in that, I think…” Nanami muttered. “But how…?”

“Oh, I was helped out by Sonia-san again. It turns out that said owner is her parents’ friend.”

“Having some connections can be pretty helpful sometimes,” Sonia laughed. “I decided to make use of them for the sake of our show.”

“Amazing…” Souda mumble, looking at her with admiration.

“Sometimes I’m jealous about that,” Kuzuryuu sighed.

“Don’t you also have some pretty useful connections?” Hinata asked, knowing a little about his family.

“Yeah, but it’s nowhere near this level. Dude, she rented us a hotel with a private beach, and now an amusement park. Is she even for real? What’s next, a mansion?”

“If it’s a mansion… There’s another person capable of renting us one…” Nanami said, glancing at Komaeda.

“Anyway, back to the topic,” Yukizome interrupted Nanami from outing Komaeda as a disgustingly rich kid. “I thought that we could go there together. You know, not for work, but to have fun, as friends. Yes, we would do some scouting, but I wouldn’t be your boss for that day.”

“Only a mom,” Owari managed to comment before Sonia clapped her hands together with a smile.

“What a wonderful idea! I have not been to an amusement park in a while.”

“Someone please call Saionji and Mioda, they’re going to lose their shit,” Kuzuryuu added.

“I’ll call Mioda once we’re out of here,” Souda replied. “But are you all for real? Is there any reason for doing it now?”

“Well, you could say that…” Yukizome laughed half-heartedly. “Chapter four isn’t the most pleasant one. I would say that it’s going to be difficult for almost all of you…” She looked at Nidai, Owari, Sonia, Tanaka, Komaeda and Hinata. “I thought that we could use some fun to make things easier. Go to an amusement park without having to worry that some crazy bear will lock you up somewhere.”

For a moment the remaining members of their group stared at her silently, most likely making her feel awkward.

“What did we do to deserve Yukizome-san.” It was Komaeda who broke the silence.

“It is a divine reward for the hardships of life,” Tanaka summed it up.

“I’m convinced that this is true.” Komaeda nodded in agreement.

“Come on, you don’t have to say things like this,” she laughed. “But it looks like you all like this idea, am I right?”

“Absolutely right!” Owari and Nidai stated at the same time.

“Seems like we’re really going there,” Hinata stated on the side, so only Nanami and Komaeda could heard him.

“This might be a good idea though,” the other boy stated. “I also haven’t been to an amusement park in a while…”

“Same here…” Nanami muttered.

Hinata was already bracing himself to play the role of a babysitter once more.

***

“Isn’t it simply a wonderful day for visit in an amusement park?!” Mioda exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping out of the bus they got to use once again. “No wind, the sun is shining…”

“And it’s cold as hell,” Saionji finished her sentence. It looked like she really meant that, as she even put some pants on instead of a kimono.

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Owari commented. She, in turn, wasn’t even wearing any jacket. Hinata wondered whether she really wasn’t cold…

“Who cares about the weather, it’s an amusement park!” Souda said, instantly attracting Mioda’s attention. She took both of his hand, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Right?! Kazuichi-chan understands it so well!”

“Of course I do! An amusement park!”

“They really are a good match,” Pekoyama giggled quietly.

“But I don’t think leaving them alone is a good idea. Especially in a place like this,” Kuzuryuu replied.

“So what, are you going to babysit them? Because I’m surely going to be busy with those two.” Hinata pointed at Nanami and Komaeda, who went with Yukizome to buy them tickets.

"Hell no, I have my own problems," Kuzuryuu replied, glancing at Natsumi, who was standing on the side with Tsumiki, as far away from Sato as she could. They still were at each other throats, even though Koizumi and Natsumi didn't seem to have much against each other anymore...

"So they tagged along too..." Sonia said. "Well, the more of us the merrier."

"I guess they became a part of this group for good," Mitarai stated. "Though I hope they won't cause us any trouble..."

"Come on, guys, we're here to have fun! Stop worrying in advance!" Mioda said, bouncing in one place. Nobody was even surprised that she was the one who was the most excited.

“By the way, Tanaka, why did you bring that dog with you?” Souda looked at said boy, who was holding a small, white and fluffy animal in his hands.

“It’s not forbidden,” he replied.

“Well, yeah, it’s not, but…” Souda still didn’t look convinced. “Whatever… What’s his name?”

“Shadow Beast,” Sonia said instead of him, extending her hand to pet the dog, who in turn tried to lick her hand. “He is a very good boy.”

“Shadow Beast…?” Souda muttered. “Does he bite?”

“Usually not,” Tanaka stated, then moved his pet closer to the other boy. “Do you want to try and take the risk?”

“Why not? A shrimp like this couldn’t possibly be dangerous…” He raised his hand to touch Shadow Beast, but the moment the dog noticed it he barred his teeth and began growling, clearly displeased. If Mioda hadn’t pulled his hand away, little Shadow Beast would probably sink his teeth in Souda’s skin.

“Kazuichi-chan, are you okay?!”

“What is this little demon!?”

“Demon? I find him really cute,” Sonia giggled adorably.

"Okay, children! I have your tickets!" Yukizome raised her voice as she returned to them, followed by Nanami and Komaeda. They really looked like her children at this point... "There's a lot of you, so behave yourselves, okay? I know it's not a formal activity or anything like this, but I still feel responsible for you."

"Yes, mom."

"And look after Saionji-san. She's small, so don't lose her.”

"H-Hey! I'm still growing!" She cried out when Natsumi began laughing. "What are you laughing at, stupid?! I'm nearly as tall as big bro Kuzuryuu!"

"Now that I t-think about it... Haven't you gotten taller r-recently?" Tsumiki spoke up, as if her defense.

"I have! I can't buy tickets for kids anymore!"

"Okay, okay." Koizumi patted her on the head. "We won't lose her, Yukizome-san.”

"Then everything is fine. Let's go!"

As soon as they entered even Saionji seemed to forget that she was cold, as she began to look around with excitement, just like everyone else. She, most likely subconsciously, moved closer to Mioda, knowing that she wouldn’t find a better partner to run around a place like this.

“Guys, look, the bumper cars!” Mioda shouted, pointing at said attraction. “Who’s up for this? Because Ibuki surely is!”

“There’s nineteen of us. There’s not enough cars for all of us,” Mitarai reminded her.

“I’ll pass,” Nidai said. “Not my kind of thing.”

“Yeah, same.” Owari nodded. “Bumper cars are for kids.”

Saionji was already on her way to the queue, dragging Tsumiki by her wrist. “Who cares about it, let me be a kid for a little longer!”

“Oh… right… We can go in pairs…” Nanami muttered. “Yukizome-san, will you go with me?”

“Well, I don’t have anything against it. I’m not old enough yet not to enjoy something like this,” she replied with a smile. “What about the rest?”

“Hajime?” Komaeda gave him a suggestive look, so Hinata only sighed and uttered an ‘okay’. Aside from Nidai and Owari some of the rest also decided not to go and simply wait for them. The pairs that also joined were Mioda and Souda, Sonia and Tanaka, and the Kuzuryuu twins. Hinata was a little surprised Kuzuryuu let Natsumi have her way, but it seemed that she was his beloved little sister after all.

He realized that this couldn’t end well the moment he saw Nanami nearly dozing off behind her wheel. Nobody in their right mind would let her drive, but Yukizome didn’t seem to mind.

“Hey, Nagito, can you even drive this…?” He asked the boy next to him, just in case. They had to at least be able avoid a collision with her.

“Hmm? No, not at all,” he replied cheerfully. “But since it’s considered a kid’s ride, it can’t be that hard, right? We won’t die or anything.”

“That’s the first thing that comes to your mind?!”

“Guys, it’s starting, don’t kill anyone!” Kuzuryuu spoke up from his car.

_He’s saying this, and yet he let Natsumi drive…_

No longer than five seconds later he and Komaeda barely avoided crashing into Nanami, since she didn’t even seem to know where she was driving.

“At least pretend you’re trying!” Hinata yelled after her, not sure if it even reached her. “Nagito, you too! We can’t just drive into someone!” He grabbed the wheel on the last moment.

“Hey, I wanted to take a turn left-“

“No, we’re not doing this!” He snapped, noticing Saionji on the left, who was actively chasing Mioda’s car. Both Souda and Tsumiki looked terrified… Tsumiki probably even more, as she was clinging to her safety belt. Then Mioda nearly drove into Nanami and Yukizome, so she yelled some apologies before almost hitting Natsumi and her brother, since she wasn’t looking where the car was going.

Hinata was already convinced that letting high school students into an amusement park wasn’t a good idea after all.

“Brace yourself, Komaeda-san!” Sonia exclaimed, charging right in their direction.

“Huh?” He only muttered, not understanding where this was going.

“It’s not how it works!” Hinata shouted angrily, trying to steer their car somewhere else, but it was too late – she drove straight into their back. They could only wait for someone to clean up this mess…

“I’ve had enough of this!” The worker in charge of this ride finally made an appearance. “How old are you?! What are you, little kids?!”

Not even waiting for their response, he turned the power off.

“Eh? It’s already over?” Mioda asked in confusion.

“Yeah, for you. It’s your own fault, get lost!” He said, pointing at the exit. They had no other option but to leave, accompanied by Mioda’s heavy sighs.

“This is the first time in my life I got kicked out of a ride in an amusement park,” Komaeda stated. “And I haven’t even done anything.”

“Unlucky,” Nanami noted. She in turn seemed to have missed the moment when Sonia drove into them, as she was looking around in confusion.

“That was a hella wild ride,” Natsumi laughed, not even caring that they basically got banned from the bumper cars.

“I-I-I’m n-never d-doing t-this a-a-again,” Tsumiki stuttered out with tears in her eyes. Her legs actually gave up and she fell to her knees. “T-This is a t-thing t-that came s-straight from hell…”

“Tsumiki-san!? Are you alright?!” Komaeda kneeled next to the shaking girl, obviously worried. Souda also crouched down.

“I understand what you mean,” he said. “And it’s not the ride that came straight from hell, but our drivers.”

To Hinata, Mioda and Saionji looked quite proud of themselves.

“So, where are we going next?”

“The roller coaster!” Owari and Nidai said in agreement, making Souda’s face go even more white.

“Hey, we only just came here, leave it for later…”

“I also don’t think it’s a good idea,” Komaeda agreed with him. “Look at poor Tsumiki-san.”

“I-I-I’m n-not riding this thing. N-never,” she muttered in panic.

“I, too, would prefer not to go there,” Tanaka added.

“Cowards,” Saionji snickered. “I’m with big sis Owari and big bro Nidai on this. Big sis Sonia also wants to go, right?”

“Of course!” She replied, her eyes almost sparkling. “It is not a visit to an amusement park without the roller coaster!”

“Ohoho, I think I’ll go too!” Hanamura spoke up, and Nidai patted him on the back with his monstrous strength once again.

“That’s the spirit! All of you who have what it takes, let’s go together!”

Nanami looked at them for a moment, then yawned and began to follow them. “I’ll go too. It looks fun.”

“Just don’t fall out,” Hinata sighed.

“Kazuichi-chan is going with Ibuki, he can’t say no!” Mioda grabbed his hand and pulled him along, ignoring his cries for help. Hinata started to pray for his soul.

“Maybe I, too…” Pekoyama wondered. “Fuyuhiko, will you go with me?”

“I-If you’re asking,” he muttered in response. He kind of looked like someone who wanted to go, but was embarrassed. Pekoyama must’ve known that, as she herself didn’t seem like someone who’d enjoy a ride like this. She most likely did it to give him an excuse to go.

“Buy the funny photo they always take on the drops!” Natsumi shouted after them. “Man, it’s going to be hilarious.”

“And you? Not going?” Hinata asked.

“Not a chance. I care about my image, I can’t have a compromising photo of myself.”

“Actually, Mahiru already has some,” Sato said cheerfully.

“What?!”

He just ignored them. “So, what are we going to do now?”

“I guess we’ll have to wait for them,” Yukizome replied. “It doesn’t seem like the queue is too long.”

***

“Guys, listen to me… I’m never, ever, riding this hellish train again… You hear? Never,” Souda said, sinking down the bench. He looked as if that one ride took at least ten years away from his lifespan.

"I'm afraid you'll have to," Yukizome replied. "Your character is supposed to ride the roller coaster with everyone else, so you'll have to ride it at least one more time."  
  
He looked as if he was about to cry.

“It’s okay, Souda-san, I-I understand…” Tsumiki placed her hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

“Yeah, me too. It just looks too dangerous,” Komaeda agreed.

“Somehow it seems like we’re the only normal people in here,” Souda sighed.

Again, Saionji and Mioda looked rather pleased with themselves. Not only them though – Nanami too.

“Guys, we have an idea,” Mioda said, and the other two girls nodded.

“It just can’t be a good idea,” Kuzuryuu commented.

"It IS a good idea,” she insisted. “What about playing some game in here?”

“A game?”

“Yeah, a field game!” Nanami exclaimed, unusually excited for her. “We thought that it might be fun to split into two groups and have something like paper chase… But instead of having only one chasing group, and one that is running away, each group will prepare a route for the other.”

“Right, you like any kind of games…” Hinata muttered. “And what then? Are we going to  leave some tasks for the other team to complete?”

“It would take a lot of time... But we can try. Just don't make them too complicated. We’re going to hide these cards around the park for the other team to find.” Nanami pulled said cards out of her pocket and showed them to the rest.

“Are these Pokémon cards-“

“Yes, they are.”

“Each team gets a map of the park and two hours draw the route on it. And to hide the cards of course. Then we’ll return to the meeting place and exchange the maps,” Saionji explained. “Then we get unlimited time to beat this game. I mean, the team who gets back to the meeting place first still wins, of course.”

“Also, we should mark the places where we hide the cards on the map. It would be unfair to put them just anywhere,” Mioda added. “Additional points if you take a photo in the marked place!”

“That actually… doesn’t sound that bad,” Mitarai said in surprise. “It could be fun. But how would we decide the teams? We have an odd number here.”

“I could be the referee, and decide who wins,” Yukizomed offered.

“But it will take a lot of time…” Nanami muttered.

“Oh, I’ll find myself something to do,” she replied. “Don’t worry about me… But let me suggest one thing. You should choose teams consisting of people who usually don’t hang out with each other.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Hmm… Bonding time!” She laughed. “Let’s choose team leaders and leave the rest to them.”

“I nominate big bro Komaeda and big bro Tanaka. Let the weirdos lead for once,” Saionji said.

“Eh? I don’t really think I’m fit to be a leader,” Komaeda said in response, but…

“Very well. I accept the challenge, Nagito Komaeda,” Tanaka stated.

“Wait, I haven’t-“

“To weaken the enemy forces…” he muttered, probably meaning ‘to choose someone with whom Komaeda hangs out a lot’. “It’s an obvious choice. Hinata.”

“Okay then.” He just shrugged and went to Tanaka’s side. “Sorry, Nagito.”

“It’s okay. If you play like this… Sonia-san,” Komaeda said with a smile.

“Oh well.” It was Sonia’s turn to hold Shadow Beast, but she handed him to Tanaka and moved to stay behind Komaeda.

“You…! I choose Nanami!” Tanaka shouted.

“Mioda-san.”

“Souda!”

“Why do I have to be stuck with Tanaka, in a different team than Mioda?!”

“Then I choose… Kuzuryuu-kun,” Komaeda continued, ignoring him.

“So I choose Pekoyama in turn.”

“Natsumi-san.”

“Tsumiki.”

“Saionji-san.”

“Koizumi.”

“Sato-san.”

“Ghh… It’s getting more difficult,” Tanaka mumbled. “Nidai.”

“Owari-san.”

“Hanamura.”

“Mitarai-kun.”

“These teams are both disasters,” Kuzuryuu concluded. “At least don’t choose us any lame team name.”

“What team!?” Mioda shouted, clearly waiting for a response. And she got one.

“Wild Cats!” Sonia and Saionji replied together.

“Ibuki expected a more enthusiastic answer, but that’ll have to do,” she concluded.

“Listen, Tanaka, I’ll trade you Mioda for Peko,” Kuzuryuu whispered to the enemy leader theatrically.

“No switching places, everyone,” Yukizome reminded them. “These are your teams now. Try to have fun.”

“They took Hanamura… I bet they did it because he has food with him…” Owari said gloomily.

“Weakening the enemy forces – completed,” Tanaka stated. “Let’s go, Dark Devas!”

“Our team name is even worse than Wild Cats…” Souda sighed. “Also, this is basically a battle between the Dark Lord and a guy with bullshit luck…”

“I won’t let you win easily, Tanaka-kun.”

“Like I said, I accept the challenge.”

***

They spent the next two hours trying to choose the most difficult route, using even the tiniest opportunities to leave the cards in places that weren’t easily accessible and drawing it on the map they were going to give the other team. They were aware that the others were most likely doing the same thing, and also that they shouldn’t underestimate Komaeda’s bullshit luck, but it was still fun. They even got to use some of the rides in order to leave the cards there.

Then, after those two hours, their duel finally began.

“You can be sure that we are not going to go easy on you,” Sonia said to Tanaka, smiling smugly.

“We also shall not let you win too easily,” he replied, suddenly considering his girlfriend to be the enemy, not Komaeda.

“The best will win,” Yukizome added. “So… Try to reach this place as fast as you can!”

Her words were the sign to go and find their routes. Komaeda only waved at Hinata and Nanami, then focused on the map. Earlier Hinata was worried, since neither him or Nanami could go with Komaeda, but nothing seemed to be wrong after those two hours. It was the opposite – Sonia became his vice-captain and helped him lead the team, and Kuzuryuu also stuck close to them. It seemed like Yukizome’s plan was working.

“Guys, Ibuki made a chat room and added everyone, so post the photos there!” Mioda said.

“See you later, losers!” Saionji laughed mockingly before going with her team.

“Don’t be so sure of yourself!” Souda replied, so she turned to him for a second and stuck her tongue out.  “Here I thought she was becoming nicer. She’s not nice at all.”

“You t-think so? I don’t really agree w-with this… Tsumiki said.

Meanwhile Tanaka was trying to read the map while still holding his dog. Nobody told him he was holding the map upside down.

***

_Team Dark Devas_

“So this is our first obstacle,” Tanaka said on their first stop. They were standing in front of one of those stalls where you could win a prize by shooting the target.

“Then… should we assume they gave the card to the worker?” Koizumi asked.

“They probably did,” Hinata sighed. “We most likely have to play this game in order to get it back. Goddammit, Komaeda.”

“Why Komaeda?” Pekoyama spoke up. “How do you know this was his idea?”

“Because it’s clearly a way to slow us down. Nagito would win something like this in a couple of minutes, but I’m not sure about us…”

“S-So we’ll have to play it until we win?” Tsumiki asked. “Would Komaeda-san really d-do something like this to us…?

“He would,” Nanami said. “But leave this to me. I’ll definitely win just as fast as Nagito would.”

“Hey, you’re playing against the bullshit luck…” Souda reminded her, but she stayed unfazed.

“My precious Pokémon cards are at stake,” she replied firmly. “I won’t leave even a single one behind.”

So that’s why she agreed to use them – she knew she wouldn’t lose as long as she had a motivation like this. Hinata had to admit that it was quite a clever move.

“Good luck, Nanami! Do your best!” Nidai shouted after her when she left them a little behind and walked up to the stall.

“Y-yeah, good luck, Nanami-san!” Tsumiki cheered on her too.

The pink-haired girl talked to the worker for a bit, making him pull out the card Komaeda’s team left there. She paid for her turn and he handed her some darts, explaining the rules. A moment later she took a stand, perfectly focused on her target, while all of them held their breaths. Well, maybe except for Koizumi, who went closer to take a photo.

“If she fails, I’m ready to pay for the next round,” Hanamura exclaimed, but the moment he said it Nanami threw the dart right into her target. She didn’t waste time and did the same with the rest of them, managing to hit the target each time she threw one. Hinata could swear he’d never seen her move so fast.

“Don’t tell me... she did it on the first try…” Pekoyama mumbled in disbelief.

“There goes the Super High School Level Gamer,” Hinata concluded. “The only one who can win against the bullshit luck."

“Guys, look at this.” Koizumi showed them the photo she took. She had to switch to using the phone camera, but it didn't make a big difference. “Pretty artistic, isn’t it?”

“She looks like a warrior,” Tanaka commented.

“Please, tell me where.”

“She would make a good archer.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“He’s ridiculous all the time,” Souda interrupted them. “Just send it to them.”

“You’re not the leader here,” Koizumi snarked. “I’d do it without you telling me to do it.”

“R-right, right…”

A second later Nanami returned, holding her card and a Pokémon plushie. Hinata recognized Jigglypuff.

“They were the prize here,” she explained. “I paid for my turn, so I had the right to choose a prize…”

“Okay, we’re done here. Let’s look for the next stop,” Hinata commanded, finally taking the map from Tanaka and turning it around.

“Wait, they send us a photo too!” Koizumi said. “What are they even doing?”

One glance at the picture was enough to tell them that the other team was really desperate to win. It looked like Mioda was trying to sneak into the petting zoo over a fence, but whoever was taking the photo caught the moment she was falling off it.

***

_Team Wild Cats_

“Why is this place closed now…?” Owari asked with a frown. “If they marked it on the map they had to be able to enter it.”

“Those assholes made use of the closing hours!” Kuzuryuu raised his voice. “When they were here before it wasn’t closed yet!”

“That should be against the rules!” Saionji stated indignantly. “What are we supposed to do now?! We’ll lose points!”

“Easy peasy, Hiyoko-chan, we just have to sneak in-“

“We’ll get kicked out of the park if somebody catches you!”

“If you want, Ibuki will do it. You all can hide somewhere. If someone gets kicked out, then it’ll be only Ibuki.” Mioda shrugged. “She can take the risk."

“There is no way I would allow it!” Sonia exclaimed. “Sacrificing yourself for the sake of the team is forbidden!”

“Are you saying that we should all get kicked out together?” Mitarai asked. “Well, solidarity is good, but then we’ll certainly lose.”

“If someone catches us, we can just leave the slowest people behind and run,” Natsumi suggested.

“But then the people with the shortest legs would stay behind. Including your brother,” Sato giggled, making them both go ‘what did you say!?’ at the same moment. “Great sync, twins.”

“You’re asking for a punch, Sato,” Natsumi hissed.

“Can I change the team? I can’t stand this,” Saionji sighed. “Or better, let’s trade Natsumi for big sis Mahiru.”

“Please, everyone, calm down. We chose teams like this in order to get along better,” Sonia said with resignation.

“I didn’t ask for this,” Natsumi muttered, so Mioda hit her on the shoulder.

“No complaining, or Ibuki is going to ask Akane-chan to throw you over the fence.”

“…”

“If that’s all, excuse her, but Ibuki is going to get the card and assure our victory!”

“Wait, Mioda, I’ll help you climb to the other side!” Owari offered. “You can stand on my back!”

“Thanks, Akane-chan! It might be useful!” She replied cheerfully. “And one of you, take a photo!”

“I guess I’ll do it,” Mitarai sighed and pulled his phone out.

And so, they began their attempts of getting to the other side of the fence without getting spotted. With Owari’s strength and Mioda’s agility it wasn’t even that hard to accomplish.

“And!?” Saionji shouted. “Do you see the card!?”

“Ibuki sees bunnies!”

“Who cares about damn bunnies, find the card and get back here!”

“Tanaka-san would be so disappointed if he heard that…” Sonia muttered.

“Yeah, Peko too…” Kuzuryuu added.

“Meat from rabbits tastes good,” Owari stated randomly, making all of them look at her with terrified expressions.

“Never let her into a petting zoo,” Sato said.

“Guys, I have the card!” Mioda shouted. “Ibuki will be back in a moment!”

“Hurry up, I don’t want to get kicked out of the park!” Saionji shouted back.

She finally stuck her head over the fence, trying to climb it on her own. She was doing pretty great until she threw one of her leg over it. She got too sure of herself and lost her balance.

“Eeeeeek!” She shrieked, falling onto the grass.

“She fell,” Owari said flatly.

“Yeah, she fell,” Sonia confirmed.

“Guys, I can see that she fell,” Kuzuryuu sighed.

“I have it on a photo,” Mitarai muttered. “I can’t believe I caught that. It’s the best one. I’m sending them this.”

“Is nobody even going to ask if Ibuki is alright!?” Mioda cried out, sitting up on the ground.

“Your best friends and the health care worker went with the other team,” Natsumi replied.

“Come on, you’re all horrible.” Sato went up to her and extended her arm to the victim of the fence. “Are you fine? Nothing broken?”

“Ibuki thinks not…”

“Guys, by the way, where is Komaeda? I haven’t seen him in a while,” Mitarai asked suddenly.

“Maybe he went to the toilet?” Owari suggested. “Dunno.”

“Don’t tell me we lost our leader!?” Saionji screamed. “How is something like this even possible?! Wasn’t he holing the map?”

“He gave it to me some time ago…” Sonia said.

“So he ran away! He didn’t get lost, he simply ran away to be with his beloved big bro Hinata!”

“This team… is a complete disaster,” Kuzuryuu commented, while Natsumi crouched down, holding her stomach and laughing so hard that she was nearly crying.

“G-guys… I l-love you all… Y-you’re so fucking ridiculous…” She managed to choke out between the laughing fits. “L-let Komaeda b-be with his… beloved Hinata…”

“Well, it’s not like we’ll going to look for him to get him back…” He replied.

“There he is, everyone,” Mioda said, looking at something on her phone with a big grin. Other members of her team also pulled their phones out to see a photo of Komaeda and Hinata. One of the places they marked on the map was one of those cutesy photo spots, designed mainly for couples. They thought it might me fun, since all the actual couples got separated into different teams, but it seemed that someone found a way to bypass the rules.

“So, are they finally together or not?” Mitarai asked, staring at the photo.

“Ibuki thinks that not yet. We would’ve known if they were.”

“We would’ve known…?” Owari muttered. “Ah, PDA?”

“Well, let’s call it like this. But it looks like they’re already doing PDA, so Ibuki’s not sure…”

“They’re hopeless,” Kuzuryuu said, hiding his phone. “Absolutely hopeless…”

“I would have to agree,” Sonia sighed. “But since we lost our leader to the enemy team… It meant I’m the captain now!”

“Hey, I want to be the vice-captain if Komaeda is not returning!” Owari spoke up.

“I have nothing against it,” Sonia replied with a smile, taking her hands in hers. “Let’s win together, Owari-san!”

“And let’s make the losers pay for our dinner!”

***

_Team Dark Devas_

“…what are you doing here?” Hinata asked Komaeda as soon as they ran into him. He looked like a little kid who lost his mother in a supermarket.

“Ah, Hajime, everyone! I think I lost my team, and I had no idea where they went…” Komaeda laughed.

“How is that possible?! How could you just lose them!?”

“Well, they have the map, and I haven’t memorized the whole route,” he explained. “I memorized your route though, since I was the one who drew it.”

“This guy is a lost cause…” Koizumi commented with resignation.

“We can’t r-really order Komaeda-san to go back to his team now,” Tsumiki said.

“Then we’ll have to accept one more member,” Tanaka stated, extending his hand to him. “Nagito Komaeda, do you wish for an alliance?”

“Well, I don’t have any other option for now, don’t I?” Komaeda replied, exchanging handshakes with him.

“He ran away… He totally ran away,” Nanami whispered to Hinata.

“I know. It’s impossible to lose a disastrous group like that.”

“Anyway… We were in the middle of wondering what we should do about this,” Souda pointed at the photo spot surrounded with miraculously still blooming flowers. They found the card easily, but didn’t know what to do about the photo. “You did in on purpose, right? To watch some poor fools suffer.”

“So that’s why he returned,” Nanami whispered to Hinata again.

“Huh?!”

“Well, while we don’t have any real couples here…” Hanamura began, probably overhearing Nanami’s words.

“…we still have them,” Nanami finished his sentence, and they both pushed Hinata and Komaeda towards the photo spot.

“W-what!?” Hinata uttered, not even able to protest.

_Why is this_ _always happening to me?!_

“Well, we can at least make use of this chance,” Koizumi said. “Neither of you seems like a great model, so just make a pose and smile.”

“Wait, I’m not even a part of this team-“

“Just do it!” Nidai took the chance to pat them on the shoulders, and Hinata wasn’t completely sure if it didn’t get dislocated. The thing he was sure of was that they would never let him go until he agreed.

“Fine!” He just grabbed Komaeda’s hand and pulled him along. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know…” Koizumi gave them a hesitant look. “Maybe hug him? If it’s not a problem.”

“O-okay…”

“Only this?” Hanamura was disappointed. “I expected something more…”

“Not today, Hanamura-kun… Not today…” Nanami muttered.

“All of you, shut up!” Hinata was beginning to lose his patience, as always when they were teasing them. “Just shut up and look!”

He simply put his arms around Komaeda’s waist and kissed his cheek, not caring about what comes later. He was really so done with them.

“OH MY GOD,” Tsumiki screamed, her eyes widening.

“Koizumi-san, please, tell me you've caught that.” Nanami grabbed the red-haired girls shoulder, trying to look at the screen.

“I did! Look!” She replied, also in shock.

“I can’t believe my own eyes,” Pekoyama added.

“Why are you all like this…” Hinata mumbled, turning to Komaeda. “Nagito…?”

His face was redder than ever before. “I’m sorry, Hajime… I think I need a break.”

And so, he fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands.

“Komaeda-san?!” Tsumiki immediately ran up to him. “A-are you okay?!”

“I’m not.”

“Guys, I think Komaeda broke,” Souda said in panic. “You shouldn’t have forced him to do this. Maybe he didn’t want it?”

“Believe me, he did,” Tanaka stated unexpectedly.

“Huh? Why would he?”

“This one is also a lost cause,” Koizumi spoke up again, then showed them her phone. “Also, it looks like the other team also has fun there.”

This time on the photo were Sato and Natsumi, and the place was a similar photo spot to this one. Sato was trying to keep Natsumi in one place by hugging her, while Natsumi looked as if she was about to kill her.

“Koizumi-san, your girlfriend is cheating on you,” Nanami said, but the other girl just laughed.

“I really doubt it. But just to be safe, I think I’ll look for them and switch teams. This one already has one additional person.”

“Eh? Are you abandoning us?!" Tanaka didn’t look pleased.

“Be quiet. You accepted an enemy into your team and abandoned Sonia-chan.”

“I’m sure the woman I chose as my partner is doing excellent job as the new leader. She’s a strong opponent.”

“O-okay… I’m still leaving though. Have fun.”

“…is Komaeda okay yet?”

“I’m not.”

***

_Team Wild Cats_

“So they came up with a similar idea as we have,” Sonia said, looking at the photo spot. “What are we going to do?”

“Murder them later,” Kuzuryuu suggested.

“Good idea, big bro Kuzuryuu. But what are we going to do now?”

“Dunno. Let’s send one person to pose.”

“But it says they want two of us…” Mitarai pointed at the map. “Well, we did the same thing to them."

“Well, Ibuki doesn’t mind posing with someone.”

“Souda would be jealous. Out of question,” Kuzuryuu shot down her offer.

“I have an idea,” Sato said. “Mahiru certainly wouldn’t be jealous if I dragged Natsumi to pose with me.”

“Why should I do this?!”

“Bonding time,” she imitated Yukizome’s tone and grabbed her wrist. “Come on, don’t fight back.”

“I’m going to kick your ass-“

“You think you’d be able to? Without your brother’s help?”

“Drag her, big sis Sato, drag her!”

“This is no bonding time. Ibuki senses blood lust.”

“Just give up,” Sato laughed at Natsumi’s efforst to free herself. “Let’s take some cute photo like Komaeda and Hinata.”

“Let’s the fuck not! Leave me alone, you gay witch!”

“I already took a photo,” Mitarai informed them. “And also recorded it. It’s too priceless.”

“Oh. So I can let her go already,” Sato sighed in relief, letting Natsumi fall to her knees.

“My image… It’s ruined forever… All because of some gay witch… And my own big brother didn’t even help me…”

“Time to get more independent.”

“Hey, Mahiru texted me that she’s switching teams because it’s unfair that theirs had more members. Let’s wait here for her,” Sato said.

“Yay, big sis Mahiru will join us in the end!” Saionji shouted happily. “It’s going to be even funnier!”

“In moments like this, I hate my life,” Natsumi whined from the ground.

After a few minutes of waiting and Koizumi being nowhere in sight, they received another photo. This time none of their friends were on it.

“Shadow Beast!” Sonia said cheerfully at the sight of the fluffy dog. “I knew they were going to use him on this one!”

“Wait… Did this mop take this pic?” Owari asked, and the other girl gave her a nod.

“He is a really smart puppy! Tanaka-san did the right thing by bringing him here!”

***

_Team Dark Devas_

“This area is off-limits, you assholes,” Souda said, pointing at the ‘no entry’ sign and looking directly at Komaeda. “How did you even do that?”

“Ah, a worker of the park was passing by, so we asked him to hide the card there for some time,” Komaeda explained.

“Okay. So he was passing by at the same time as you. What kind of bullshit is it?”

Souda got only a shrug in response.

“My card… I need to get it back…” Nanami muttered, gazing longingly at the area where the card was supposedly hidden.

“Maybe if one of us runs fast enough no one will notice?” Nidai suggested.

“We’d get arrested,” Pekoyama sighed. “That one is really unfair…”

“Do not worry about this,” Tanaka exclaimed. “There is absolutely no problem.”

“How is t-there no problem?” Tsumiki asked. “W-we really can’t get there…”

“That is why we shall leave this to someone else,” he replied, finally putting Shadow Beast on the ground. “Nanami, please, let him sniff one of the cards.”

“O-okay…” She hesitantly pulled one of them out of her pocked and moved it towards the dog. He sniffed it once and barked.

“Very well. Find it, my friend,” Tanaka commanded him, so he barked again and ran off to the off-limits area.

“It looked almost as if you understood what he was barking about,” Hinata said.

“Because I did.”

“Huh?”

A moment later Shadow Beast returned with the card in his mouth. Instead of going back to Tanaka, he ran up to Nanami and left it in front of her, wagging his tail happily.

“T-thanks…” She muttered in surprise, picking it up. The dog didn’t leave her alone though. “What does he want…?”

“He’s waiting for a praise. Pet him.”

“But I’m… not good with pets…” She furrowed her brows. “He almost bit Souda-kun earlier…”

“He would never bite a lady, I assure you,” Tanaka said.

Nanami hesitantly kneeled down and moved her hand in his direction. Hinata could clearly see that it was shaking… Though Shadow Beast seemed to ignore it and as soon as she touched him he tried to jump onto her lap so he could lick her face.

“It looks like he likes you,” Komaeda laughed.

“You have one more mission, Shadow Beast,” Tanaka stated, pulling out his phone and turning the camera on. He had some chain attached to it, and he stuck it into the dog’s mouth. “Go there one more time.”

Unable to bark, he only moved his head to signalize he understood and disappeared once again.

“What is this dark magic…” Souda muttered. “It’s not normal…”

“Dogs are extremely intelligent beasts,” Tanaka replied.

This time Shadow Beast’s task took a little longer than before, but soon he returned with the phone and only let go of it when his owner was already holding it.

“Look.” He showed them the photo, proving that the small fluffy ball actually did it.

“I-I can’t believe…” Tsumiki mumbled.

“You should. It’s real.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind. Tanaka’s dog just took a selfie,” Pekoyama said.

Meanwhile very proud of himself Shadow Beast approached Nanami again.

“He really took a liking to you,” Hinata commented.

“Well…” She carefully picked the ball of fur from the ground to hold him in her arms. The dog instantly began licking her face. “He’s cute… I think.”

“Just return him later,” Komaeda reminded her.

***

They finally managed to complete their routes after definitely more than those previous two hours. Hinata wondered what Yukizome was doing that whole time, but she was actually waiting for them in the meeting place. But before they even reached it they noticed Sonia’s team. It appeared that they’d completed it on the same time.

“Okay, so who’s ready for running as if their life depended on it?” Nidai asked them.

“Not me…” Nanami replied, rubbing one of her eyes and still holding the dog with the other hand. “I’m sleepy after all of this…”

Komaeda was also out of question, since Hinata was basically leading him by the hand so he didn’t walk into anything. On their way they also had to go through a haunted house, the Ferris wheel and some other things…

“Man, leave us alone. We should just let them win,” Souda sighed.

“I’m not going to let go of the victory so easily,” Tanaka exclaimed. Somehow he still had some energy left.

“Then run for it, witchcraft man.” Souda waved him goodbye, and he really started running. On the same moment as Sonia.

“I can’t believe they still are able to care…” Komaeda muttered, as they were falling behind the rest of the group again. “I'm falling asleep…”

“It looked like you were having fun today,” Hinata pointed out.

“Because I was. Really. It was a good idea,” he chucked quietly. “Now I’m not even scared of this damn chapter four anymore. Because I know it’s not real.”

“Yeah. Not real. Never forget about it,” Hinata said, leaning closer to kiss his cheek again, this time without anyone looking. He couldn’t do anything more before actually confessing, but it was still enough to make Komaeda blush once more.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“What do you think?” He laughed, thinking of how happy he was, and that he was going to be even happier soon. It seemed too beautiful to be real.

In the end, Sonia and Tanaka probably forgot about the real duel and just ran to hug each other as if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

They never figured out who won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the delay-- I really wanted to write a fun chapter, not a half-assed one, so please forgive me for being so late!  
> Though I have some bad (?) news - there's a chance I won't be able to write anything for at least the first half of May. Like I said before, it's my last year of high school, and May is the month of my final exams. I want to focus on it, so I don't know if I'll be able find time for writing. The hiatus won't be long though, and I promise to compensate you for this (you all know what I'm talking about) 
> 
> Also, holy shit guys, this fic crossed the line of 1k kudos, when did this happen!! Thank you so much for everything, for the kudos, for comments, for spending your time on reading this, just thank you!!
> 
> And the last thing - I have a question, though I doubt I'll get any positive answers. Do I have any Polish readers who are going on Pyrkon next week and would like to meet me? I'm going to be cosplaying Nanami, Komaru and Koizumi~


	28. True route's status: ???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy I'm back! My exams are over and I'm ready to bring you more fluff. I actually really wanted to post this a week ago, but I also didn't want to half-ass this chapter (it's an important one okay), so I'm posting it today!

All Star: Ibuki is so glad she left that chat room she made for the amusement park trip intact

everyone’s favorite protag: and i’m not. go to sleep it’s 3 A.M stop messaging us at this ungodly hour

baby boss: hey hinata who the fuck made you my favorite protag. what if i like naegi more

everyone’s favorite protag: you don’t. i’m the best protag now sorry i make the rules

everyone’s favorite protag: also who the fuck made you the baby boss kuzuryuu

baby boss: brb i’m going to kill natsumi

Wild Cat: Killing is wrong!!

everyone’s favorite protag: he’s going to be back in five minutes, let him be

All Star: Ibuki thought that Sonia-chan of all people would be asleep

Wild Cat: I was summoned

Mitarai: anyway, Mioda, what did you want in the middle of the night

All Star: Ibuki’s looking for a tutor

Nanameme: I thought you had Hajime

everyone’s favorite protag: go to sleep idiot

Nanameme: Were you talking to me?

everyone’s favorite protag:  who else I would be talking to?

 

 **baby boss** changed name to **the better kuzuryuu**

 

Satan™: better, but still shorter

the better kuzuryuu: go to sleep brat

All Star: Nobody’s even paying attention to Ibuki!!

everyone’s favorite protag: you go to sleep too

All Star: Ibuki would but Hajime-chan said he’s leaving the school work to her until he’s done having fun

everyone’s favorite protag: yeah, though I didn’t phrase it like that

All Star: so she’s looking for someone who’d help her. Otherwise both she and Hajime-chan are going to repeat a year

everyone’s favorite protag: okay guys this is an emergency someone please volunteer to help her

Satan™: here

everyone’s favorite protag: go back to your hell I don't trust you

Nanameme: the normal part of this group is asleep

gay witch: is there even anyone normal in this madhouse

Nanameme: Koizumi-san

gay witch: fair enough

Miratai: If I volunteer to help Mioda with her school work will you let me go to sleep?

everyone’s favorite protag: always so reliable

All Star: Bless you Ryota-chan!!!!!

Satan™: hey did you know that if you type more than three exclamation marks it makes you look dumb

All Star: So mean!!

Satan™: oh, you put only two this time

 

 **Mitarai** left the chat

***

“How to confess to someone?” Mioda gave Hinata a surprised look. “Why is Hajime-chan asking Ibuki something like this?”

“Maybe because you already went through it?” The boy replied, sticking his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I mean, I have some vague idea of how I should approach him, we’ve been friends for quite a while now, but… A l-love confession is something different...”

“You know, Hajime-chan, in Ibuki’s case it wasn’t anything planned. She just did it on a whim, deciding that it was the right moment,” she explained. “Dunno if that would work with Nagito-chan. He does seem like a person who needs to be mentally prepared for something like this.”

“I know that much,” Hinata sighed. “I know I need to signalize him what I’m about to do. But that only makes me more stressed about the whole thing.”

“Ibuki doesn’t understand what Hajime-chan is worried about though. Nagito-chan looks at him as if he was his world,” Mioda pointed out. “He would never reject him.”

“I know it, too,” he sighed again. “Though I’m still stressed.”

“Don’t worry so much, it’s only going to last a moment, and then you’re both going to be happy about it!”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Yeah, easy. Don’t underestimate Ibuki, because from what she knows, she has a boyfriend, and Hajime-chan still doesn’t, even though he wants to.”

“Shut up, Mioda.”

“You need to create the right mood, Hajime,” Nanami finally spoke up, looking up from her game console. “Like… the sunset, or something like this, I think…”

“Where did you get this from, Chiaki?”

“Here.” She raised the device higher, nearly shoving it into his face. “I don’t get all the romantic stuff… but I wanted to help you somehow, so I tried to play some dating simulators, even though I don’t like them that much…”

“I don’t think dating sims are a reliable source of information…” Hinata laughed awkwardly. “But thanks, you’re the only friend I can count on.”

“Hey, what about Ibuki?!”

“You shut up.”

Nanami couldn’t stop herself from letting out a quiet giggle, but she was almost sure neither of her friends had noticed it, as they were busy bickering. It was another normal day, with them walking to the studio together, despite Mioda’s character being already dead – she was still accompanying them as often as she could. Nanami got so used to all of this that she was thankful to her for not leaving them. It just wouldn’t be the same without her…

Well, she was supposed to meet Mitarai at the studio, so she had to go with them anyway.

As for Hinata’s problem… She had absolutely no idea how to help him, but she was sure he’d figure it out in no time. It was weird, to listen to both his and Komaeda’s concerns and not say a single word to the other. She ended up as the friend they always come to when they just want to rant about something.

It was okay though. As frustrating as they could get sometimes, they were both endearing.

***

“So… You want to confess your feelings to Hajime,” Nanami muttered, not even looking up from her game. She figured out it would be easier for Komaeda to talk about it if she wasn’t staring at him.

“Yhm…” She was pretty sure her friend nodded, but well, she couldn’t be completely sure. It was their break time, so the two of them went out to buy themselves something to eat, while everyone else was busy with Mioda’s desperate attempts of catching up with her school material. They ended up buying milkshakes at McDonalds. “I think it’s high time I did something about that…”

“Hmm… I think so too,” she replied. “He’s head over heels for you.”

“A-Are you completely sure about it?”

“Please, Nagito… Everyone can see it…” She sighed, giving him a glance. “Even you can’t be this oblivious…”

“I’m not,” he muttered in response, taking a sip of his shake and pretending he’s entirely focused on it. Though he still spoke up like ten seconds later. “But I’ve never confessed to anyone.”

“Me neither.”

“You’re not helping me.”

“You love him… and he loves you. What more do you need…?”

“It’s just that…” He paused, shifting nervously in his chair. “I’m serious about it. Really serious… I don’t know if you can understand it, but despite Hajime being my first love, I want it to last.”

“You want to spend your life with him,” Nanami suggested. With the corner of her eye she registered Komaeda squeezing his cup so hard that the top came off. “Woah… What a reaction…”

“What did you e-expect!?” He exclaimed. “This makes it sound even more serious! We’re seventeen, nobody makes plans for life yet!”

“Almost eighteen…” She muttered. “I’m just being straightforward about the thing that you were roundabout…”

“But… I really, really love him and don’t want him to see me as someone clingy,” Komaeda said, putting the top back on his cup.

“He would love you to be a little more clingy… I think.”

“So… You think that he’s also serious about me?” He asked shyly. “I just… Don’t want to disappoint him. And end up disappointed myself…”

“I’m not really one to talk…” Nanami replied. “I don’t quite get you, but… Hajime is probably serious, too. Stop being so scared…and go for it.”

“This sounds both easy and impossible,” Komaeda sighed. “I just want everything to go well. You know, have a nice memory I’ll be able to reminiscent upon when I’m old…”

“That was… surprisingly romantic,” she commented with a smirk, giving him another look.

She honestly couldn’t imagine anything not going well, but maybe her way of thinking was just too simple? Maybe there was something more to it?

No, this route had to lead to a happy ending.

***

“Hmm? Advice? From me?” Yukizome seemed surprised by Nanami’s question. “What can you do to help them?”

“Yhm…” She hummed in response, staring at the screen displaying some dating sim game. It was quite boring and not useful at all. “They both want the same thing… but for some reason, they’re too worried…”

“You can’t order your heart to feel a certain way,” the woman laughed at her confused face. “And I don’t think we can do anything at this point. “They’re basically together, they just need to say it out loud.”

“But it’s taking so long…” Nanami sighed. “I don’t mind third wheeling, they should just hurry up…”

“So you think that if we set up the stage for them, they’ll finally make a move?” Yukizome asked her. “Because if that’s the case, we can come up with something.”

“Really…? Are you really helping me play a matchmaker?” Nanami muttered with hope in her voice.

“Like I said, there’s not much we can do at this point, but… Do you remember which scene is planned for tomorrow’s practice?”

“Tomorrow’s practice…” She repeated slowly. It took her a moment to remember what she was talking about. “Suzuki’s final free time event…”

“Don’t you think it may be a good opportunity for them to fix that scene on their own?” Yukizome said with a giggle. “Let’s get the Monokuma Tai-Chi done today,  so we can set up our trap.”

“…you’re a genius, mom,” Nanami stated with wide eyes. “This has to work… We just have to somehow suggest the others not to come tomorrow… and leave them alone…”

“They’ll have to catch the bait, they’re smart boys,” she replied. “If everything goes well, you’ll see the results soon.”

“Let’s do this!” Nanami exclaimed enthusiastically, doing a high-five with Yukizome. “I’ll finally complete this route!”

***

Nanami was almost sure that Saionji and Tsumiki (who got dragged here by the younger girl) appeared there only to watch them do the Monokuma Tai-Chi and laugh at them. Mioda and Mitarai also seemed quite entertained by it.

“After all this bullshit… I really came to hate colors pink and green…” Souda muttered, lying down on the floor at the end of their practice time. "It's time to dye my hair orange..."

“But they say green is the color of hope,” Komaeda said in his Suzuki voice, sitting down next to him.

“Just fucking end me.” That was the only response he got from him. Mioda’s laughter could certainly be heard from the hallway. “This was the most embarrassing thing ever.”

“More like entertaining,” Saionji snickered, then turned to Mioda, who was holding some kind of a magazine. “By the way, what is that?”

“Ah, this?” She raised it to let them see the cover. “I saw Junko-chan’s face so I thought I might as well read the article about her. Nobody seems to like her, so Ibuki wanted to know why.”

“She’s just… terrible,” Komaeda sighed, frowning at Enoshima at the cover. “Simply terrible, nothing more to add.”

“Well, she was difficult,” Yukizome stated.

“The word difficult is an understatement,” he replied. “I am difficult, not her.”

“Wow, man, you just admitted to being difficult,” Souda spoke up in surprise.

“Character development,” Tanaka commented.

“B-but… she’s so pretty…” Tsumiki said, staring at the photo of Enoshima.

“Being pretty doesn’t make you a good person,” Kuzuryuu muttered.

“Listen, stupid woman.” Saionji put her hands on Tsumiki’s shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. “You can go for whoever you want, but for fuck’s sake, don’t fall for some insane chick. I’d kick her ass, and then yours.”

“E-Eh!?”

“Hey, guys. Let’s order a pizza before going home,” Owari suggested, and Mitarai nodded.

“I support this idea.”

“Ehm… Everyone… I have an announcement to make.” Nanami said, raising her hand and instantly attracting Komaeda and Hinata’s attention. They probably knew that her doing that could only mean she’s up to no good. “I’m… going to be absent tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why?” Sonia asked. “Is anything wrong, Nanami-san?”

She shook her head, trying to appear as serious as she could. “Everything is fine. It’s about tomorrow’s practice…”

“Anything’s wrong with it?” Nidai raised one of his thick eyebrows. Everyone else seemed surprised by her words too.

“Nothing wrong, but… I want to give Hajime and Nagito some space,” she said, watching their expression change in fear. “You know, the final free time event is quite… intimate. I feel like they’ll be able to play it better without any audience.”

For a moment everyone fell silent, processing her words. She was hoping they’d understand what she’s getting at…

“O-oh,” Tsumiki spoke up, getting her way of thinking first. “I see… I-It makes sense. If that’s the case, I’ll also stay at home tomorrow. I a-also have school things to catch up with…”

“Good idea, Nanami. I’ll also take a free day,” Kuzuryuu added.

“Take Peko-chan on a date, you probably don’t spend a lot of time together,” Mioda suggested.

“Mind your own business.”

“Ibuki minds. She’ll take Kazuichi-chan on a date.”

“Hey, I don’t think it’s really necessary to leave us completely alone…” Hinata tried to protest, but Sonia interrupted him.

“Let us go on a triple date then! Me with Tanaka-san, Mioda-san with Souda-san, and Kuzuryuu-san with Pekoyama-san!” She exclaimed cheerfully. “We cannot waste the little free time we have!”

“I’ll just stay at home and play some games…” Nanami said, yawning. “Anyone wants to join me?”

“I can do it,” Owari replied. “Not that I’m particularly interested in games, but I don’t have anything better to do.”

“You should study, too!” Mitarai tried to remind her, but got ignored, since Owari only grinned at Nanami after she showed her a thumb-up.

“Okay, then tomorrow it’s only Komaeda-kun, Hinata-kun and me,” Yukizome said, giving Nanami a suggestive look, then glancing at the terrified boys. They most likely both understood that it was all a part of their plan. “You don’t have to be here as early as usual, since it probably won’t take a lot of time, with only the two of you.”

“S-sure…” Hinata muttered, clenching his fists. “Seems like we don’t have any other choice.”

“Good luck with that, losers,” Saionji laughed. “Do your best… Since the next time you do it, we’re going to watch. We’re not missing an opportunity like that.”

Nanami was starting to become proud of herself, even though she knew she had to wait for actual results…

But she couldn’t not admit that it was a clever plan. _Good job, player Chiaki._

***

“You did that on purpose,” Hinata said to her on their way back home. “There’s no way you didn’t.”

“You’re a smart one, Hajime…”

“And you’re more cunning that I thought you were,” he replied to her remark. “I don’t have any choice but to follow your plan now, don’t I?”

“I’m just trying to help you,” she stated. She was ready to deal with an annoyed Hinata or nervous Komaeda. It wasn’t anything new.

“Well, I never said that I don’t understand it. And that I’m not even a little grateful,” he sighed, surprising her. “I guess it’s the right moment. Or rather… I won’t find a better one, so thanks.”

“…I want a report.”

“Huh?”

“Tomorrow, after you come back home… I want a report of how it went,” she said firmly. “It’ll be easier to get one out of you than of Nagito.”

“Why should I do it?”

“I’m kind of playing the role of your good fairy. Show some gratefulness…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” he laughed, poking her cheek. “Come on, I don’t think there’s anyone I can rant to more freely.”

“You better keep your word…”

***

Despite playing it cool when talking to Nanami, Hinata was actually extremely nervous. He kept telling himself that there’s nothing to be afraid of, but… Well, he just couldn’t do anything about it.

Komaeda would not reject him. He was very clearly in love with him, to the point that probably many of their friend knew about it before he figured it out himself. They would be happy together…

Hinata actually knew what he was afraid of. It was Komaeda’s reaction. Not in the aspect of saying ‘I love you too”, but… more of his reaction as a whole. Would he smile at him? Would he frown and say something like ‘I don’t know what you see in me’? Or would his reaction be completely different? Hinata couldn’t tell. No matter how good would he become at reading Komaeda, predicting his actions completely was always going to be impossible.

When they met at the station, at first it seemed that nothing would be different that day, but it seemed that Komaeda was aware where all of this was going. They both were pretty tense, and any attempt of starting a conversation was becoming awkward. To be honest, Hinata wanted to just have it done quickly, so they could leave that embarrassing phase.

“You both seem a little out of it today,” Yukizome said with a concerned expression. “Well, we all got used to having an audience, don’t we?”

_It’s not where the problem lies, Yukizome-san._

They already began rehearsing that scene, but it lacked their usual enthusiasm, as they couldn’t focus on it and every five seconds they were ending up staring at each other, and then suddenly looking away with embarrassment written on their faces. They couldn’t even reach the end of it – they got stuck on the small talk added to the script as a way to make the transition from a video game to a TV show smoother.

“You could say that not having Chiaki’s sleepy remarks and Mioda’s high pitch voice in the background is a little distracting,” Hinata sighed, as he lazily swung on that strawberry house swing he was sitting on. Komaeda took the other one.

“Yeah, it feels a lot different than usual,” he added, laughing awkwardly.

“Just do your usual thing,” she said with a smile that would comfort anyone. “The two of you always perform the best when you forget about everyone else and just focus on each other. Now you don’t have to worry about anyone, there’s no one who’d make a joke and distract you. You can pretty much ignore me, since I rarely have to give you any advice when it comes to your characters… You’re the ones who understand them the best, and… who understand each other the best.”

“Yukizome-san…”

For a moment they were staring at her silently, then looked at each other, and… simply began to laugh.

She was right. They knew each other so well that they could see right through one another. What they were even doing at this point? Also, after all this time they still needed Yukizome to calm them down so they’d do their job. It seemed kind of silly, considering that they already played many more difficult scenes.

“So, just try again?” She added to her earlier words. “Everyone is cheering on you. I’m just going to sit there, so don’t mind me.”

_Just do your usual thing._

It looked like Yukizome’s words worked on Komaeda too, as he finally looked calm. That was a good sign, and Hinata was really thankful to their director for that. She always knew how to choose the right things to say.

The idle chat at the beginning of that scene quickly died down, as they moved onto the actual content from the last free time event. The last moment their characters were interacting so freely before everything went to shit... While talking to him, Komaeda's voice sounded cheerful, but something was off about it. Just like it often used to be with the Komaeda he knew, when he wasn't acting... A cheerful tone that hid sadness. It wouldn't be hard to react with annoyance to that, or simply pretend he didn’t understand. He just chose not to do it.

But now he had to. Only as an actor, but still... No matter how similar they were to their game counterparts, there was a line separating them from the fictional characters.

“…do you understand me now, Yokohama-kun?” Komaeda said, smiling at him warmly just after he had to say all those horrifying things. “You and I… are a lot alike. That’s why you understand my feelings… I felt that from the start. I don’t feel the unique aura that exists in those who have talent from you… I only sense the scent of a miserable bystander, just like me.”

He had to admit, when Komaeda was acting, there was something scary about him. Hinata would never want to have him as his enemy.

“I’m not miserable. I’m… different from you.”

“It seems there’s no one who’s willing to inherit my soul,” he laughed, but when he looked at Hinata again he was serious. “I have no parents, no siblings, no relatives… Not even friends or acquaintances… I was fine with that when I was still healthy, but it’s quite lonely to die alone…”

For a second Hinata wanted to reach out to him and hold his hand – that’s how convincing the tone of his voice was.

“Now that I’m on the verge of death, I’ve finally realized what I wanted all along: somebody’s love. Silly, isn’t it?” He said, putting on a smile again, but this one wasn’t convincing at all. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be?

“You…”

“I read a book about something like that the other day.” Komaeda laughed off any signs of concern from his side.

“Huh?”

“It was right of me to cite a book written for the masses. Thanks to that, I was able to gain your empathy. Yes, I’m satisfied now.”

“You were… lying… just now? Everything you’ve said up to this point… All of it… It was all lies…?”

“…have you finally decided to kill me?” He asked innocently. It was still hard to get used to this, so he would usually try to ignore the rambling about hope and just play his role. It was the same this time – he just waited for him to stop, then spoke up himself.

“Just tell me one thing, and be honest. If you didn’t have your luck… what would you be doing instead?”

“I… I guess I would probably be living a peaceful life… A boring, normal life with no hope or despair.”

He never said he didn’t like that idea. He never said he wouldn’t wish for a life like that. Hinata always had that thought, that this character might’ve actually wanted to live a normal life, but he wasn’t given the chance to do so. Now, after getting to know Komaeda, he was sure of that.

“I see…” He muttered, standing up from the swing, ready to walk away. “That’s all. Goodbye.”

For some reason, he could feel his heartbeat speeding up. Well, he perfectly knew the reason. He made a few steps in the direction opposite to the swings when he heard Komaeda’s quiet voice.

“Please, don’t forget that… from the bottom of my heart, I am truly in love with y…” He made an audible pause, and Hinata couldn’t stop himself from turning his head to him and see what kind of expression he was wearing. He looked as if he really wanted to finish that sentence properly, but Komaeda would never make a mistake when acting. Even when it was only Hinata and Yukizome who watched him, he would still do his job, so… He just smiled and said what was written in the script. “Your hope.”

There was a long moment of silence, when they were just staring at each other, unsure of what to do now. To Hinata’s relief, Yukizome came to his rescue.

“I think it was perfect. See? You can do it when you really try,” she said. “I don’t feel the need to force you to repeat it. You’re free to go now.”

Komaeda was the first one to leap in the direction of the exit.

“Hey, Nagito, wa-“

“Don’t worry, Hajime. I’m not going to run away like him,” he stated, glancing at Hinata shortly, before leaving the room.

“Good luck, kid,” Yukizome said, giggling slightly. “Also, take this.”

The woman handed him something that looked like a key… No, not looked, it was definitely a key. If Hinata was an anime character, there would be a question mark over his head.

“It opens the door to the rooftop. We started pretty late today, so it’s already dark… And the sky is really pretty tonight. Maybe it’ll help create some mood.”

“…you helped Chiaki with her plan.”

“Maybe,” she laughed again. “I’ll repeat it, good luck.”

“…thank you, Yukizome-san,” he replied, closing his fingers around the key. He vaguely knew where the door to the rooftop were located, so there was no problem. “Really, thanks.”

“No problem. Now go, or else he’ll leave you here.”

She didn’t have to tell him that twice. He ran out of the room without even saying goodbye and sprinted to his dressing room, trying not to forget to tell Komaeda to take his jacket.

***

They didn’t say even one word on their way to the rooftop, most likely both furiously trying to come up with something coherent to say later, but… When they found themselves outside, in the middle of the night, surrounded by stars and cold, fresh air... Hinata’s mind suddenly felt clear.

“Chiaki was right when she said it’s going to be a really pretty night,” Komaeda muttered softly, gazing at the sky.

“I didn’t bring you here for stargazing though,” Hinata replied, stopping about two meters away from him.

“It’s not that hard to guess it. Everyone was kind of too obvious about it,” he said with a laugh. “I guess we took our time.”

“No need to beat around the bush then, I guess.” Hinata shrugged, then took a deep breath. “Let me ask you one thing. Do you love me?”

A few seconds of silence, then a quiet response. It was so obvious that he was struggling to reply honestly.

“I do.”

“Good then, because I love you too,” he exclaimed, as confidently as he could while feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest. “Do you want to go out with me?”

The dim light coming from the start and the moon was letting him see much less of Komaeda’s expression that he would like to, but at the same time he thought that maybe it was better this way. He could recognize that he started crying even without having to see it.

“Nagito…”

“It’s weird. I’m happy. I r-really am…” Komaeda said shakily. “So why am I crying? Even though I knew you love me since a very long time. I would have to be stupid not to realize it… But I still teared up when you said it out loud.”

“I believe some people cry when they’re happy,” Hinata laughed, approaching him. He raised his hand to touch Komaeda’s cheek, and he could feel that he was smiling at the same time. “You’re going to hear it a lot though, and I don’t want you to cry everytime.”

“You’ll h-have to make me g-get used to this…” he replied.

“So the answer is yes.”

“If y-you really fine with someone like me.” Komaeda closed his eyes. “If you really sure I’m the one you want…”

“I don’t want anyone else,” Hinata stated, spreading his arms on the right moment to let him hug him so tightly that he was almost ready to be worried about broken bones. “Come on, evething is okay…”

“I was sure I’ll always be alone, so…” he muttered. “Don’t laugh at me, okay? Meeting you gave me hope.”

“Well, it does sound kind of funny coming from you,” Hinata replied, caressing his back. “But I’m not going to laugh. I understand more than you think. I’ve been giving my all to understand you for months. I know what I’m getting into, and I’m still ready to do it. Even though you can be annoying sometimes, I fell in love with everything about you, not just the simpler side. ”

“So you admit that there’s a more complicated one?” Komaeda laughed through tears. “Good then. I warn you though, now you’re not going to get rid of me easily. I was waiting for a chance like this too long.”

“You weren’t simply waiting for a chance,” Hinata said, pulling away but taking his hands in his. “You were working hard to get one. Have you even noticed how much you changed since we first met?”

“It’s not only me. You’ve changed as well.”

“Me? How is that?”

“You’ve softened, Hajime,” he stated, sounding a little amused. “Back then, you’d have never said all the embarrassing things you just said.”

“Listen, Nagito, I love you, but if you make fun of me I won’t hesitate to puch you.”

That was the thing that ultimately got rid of any seriousness hanging in the air, making them laugh and forget that they were even nervous. Now, that they finally went through that confession thing, Hinata felt weirdly light. As if everything could only get better from now on.

“You don’t mind me walking you home, right?” He asked.

“If you promise to hold hands with me, then I don’t.”

“You’re my boyfriend now, you don’t have to ask me to do it.” After hearing that sentence Komaeda let go of his hands and hid his face in his own. “Again…?”

“…don’t expect me to react normally for a while.”

“That’s kind of adorable.”

“Stop it.”

“Wait, do you really expect me not to compliment you and say embarrassing stuff? Get real, you’re my first serious love and I want to do it!”

“But-“

“You will get used to feeling appreciated, I’ll make sure of this. For now… Let’s just go, okay? You look as if you’ve had enough for today,” Hinata said, trying to stop from laughing at his expression.

“Am I really that easy to figure out?”

“In this case, yes.”

***

When Yukizome met them near the exit, she only gave them a happy smile and congratulated them before going home. If Komaeda wasn’t so focused on how fast his heart was beating, maybe he would think about whether she already called Nanami.

He felt overwhelmed by how happy he was. It almost seemed to be too much for him to handle at once, despite the fact how long they were getting together. After spending as much time as him hearing only insults, Hinata’s words still hit him hard... He had to admit, it was quite confusing, but he believed him. He came to the point where he could honestly say that he believed the kind words he was told.

“Hey, you think anyone is going to be surprised if we tell them?” Hinata asked on their way. They weren’t talking much, just chatting idly. “Personally, I doubt it…”

“Don’t forget about Souda-kun,” Komaeda replied, squeezing his hand lightly.

“He’s special. He might not believe us even if we tell him.”

“True. He’s one of a kind,” he chuckled.

When they finally reached his house, Hinata’s phone signalized receiving a message. He sighed before letting go of his hand and checking who it was from, then showing the screen to him. It was some skeleton meme with a caption ‘me waiting for your report’, obviously from Nanami.

“Well, I guess she deserves one,” Komaeda said with a shrug. “It would be nice to stay together a little loger, but… It’s not like we won’t see each other tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. Then…” Hinata shifted nervously. Then he did something he didn’t expect in the slightest.

He took his hand again and leaned in to kiss him. It was unexpected, but he didn’t by any means protest. Why would he? It was something he wanted to do since a long time. It was shy, clumsy and didn’t last long, but for a first kiss, it was much more magical than he’d imagined.

“Good night,” Hinata whispered after pulling away, though he was still fairly close to him. Even in the dim light of street lamps he could see the blush on his cheeks.

“G-Good night…” He replied, but somehow couldn’t bring himself to let go of his hand. “Though… Can you do it again?”

In the end, he didn’t go home for the next five minutes. After he finally did, he called Naegi to ask if he could come over because he just couldn’t imagine being on his own for the rest of the night. He was too happy not to share that happiness with someone.

***

“You’re not really romantic, Hajime,” Nanami said after hearing his report. She actually came to the station just to listen to his incoherent rambling.

“Are you serious?! This was the cheesiest story I could tell you about my life! If I wasn’t so happy I would be endlessly embarrassed!” He exclaimed. “And I don’t want YOU telling me I’m not romantic, you’re not really the right person to be telling me this…”

“Well, you may be right… I guess it’s fine, as long as it worked,” she concluded with a smile. “Congratulations on completing your route. It’s a shame we don’t have ending songs in real life, but it’s satisfying nonetheless.”

“The video game analogies are not really necessary here. It’s not like anything ends here.”

“Well, it's my role what ends here… I think. I’ll just continue being the third wheel and leave the rest to you,” Nanami said.

“Fair enough. Still, thank you. For always caring about us.”

“You care about me too, so we’re even,” she replied. “There’s no need to thank me. Just enjoy the end of your single life.”

“That’s what I’m planning on doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this what you were waiting for or did I fail you by making it too lame
> 
> Anyway, it's nice to finally be able to post something! I missed you and your comments, but I just couldn't focus on writing during the exams period. I hope this chapter is good enough because it took me a lot of effort to write this ohmygod 
> 
> Also, please check out [[this]](http://chromexvii.tumblr.com/post/160155049001/surprise-take-yukari-in-my-arms-and-run-away) amazing original composition Chrome did for the 25th chapter of this fic!!! It's beautiful and I'm listening to this every day of my life


	29. A first date that is not really date-like

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I really updated it, it's a miracle!!
> 
> Okay, first of all, I feel like I need to explain myself.   
> This long break wasn't really planned at all. I haven't lost interest in this fic, and I haven't abandoned it. I'm still doing my best to keep on writing it, even though I haven't updated it in two months... I'm sorry. I really am. I feel like I let you all down and I'm really sorry for making you wait.  
> The reason I disappeared for so long is (as some of you may know) that I'm working during summer. It's really time-consuming and I'm really exhausted for most of time. I'm still writing, but I'm often too tired to write more than a sentence per day. I'm sorry again, and also for not replying to some of your comments!! I really love you all and I'll probably reply to them once I'm finally done working~
> 
> also I hope you guys like Nanamiki

 

"Why are you always calling me when you want to rant about your kids, not Kyousuke?"

"Because I feel like you are kind of interested in how Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun are doing," Chisa cheerfully replied to irritated Juuzo's question. "Or are you not?"

"Kyousuke has always been more interested in your rambling than me," he said. "I'll hang up again."

"Fine, then I won't tell you," she hummed, knowing well that he'd ask her what happened anyway. "I'll tell Kyousuke when I get back home, and you'll get left out."

"You know what? I don't really care."

He definitely cared. It was so obvious.

"Fiiine," Chisa giggled. "But really, Juuzo, I'm so happy right now! I feel like I could finally make a move too!"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Certain two boys, after months of gathering the courage to do it, finally started going out. Don't you think we could learn something from them?"

"Well, good for them, but it has nothing to do with me."

"I thought you'd be more enthusiastic about it..."

"Why should I be enthusiastic about the love life of some high school brats?"

"You're truly a terrible uncle, Juuzo... Juuzo? Are you still there?" Chisa moved the phone away from her ear. "He really hung up..."

_***_

Komaeda sat down on Makoto’s bed. The Naegi’s let him stay over without any complaint, just like always.

"So, what's going on?" Komaru asked. She was sitting on the floor, with her legs crossed and a worried expression on her face. "In the past you'd often come over like this, but now..."

"Nothing bad happened," he replied with an awkward laugh. "It's actually the opposite... Maybe I shouldn't bother you with my stories, but..."

"Come on, we're a family! You can come to us with whatever you want! Right, big brother?"

"Of course," Makoto, who was sitting next to him, said. "If it's something happy, then it's even better."

"So, what is it?"

"You know... I might've gotten myself a boyfriend," Komaeda stated, unable to stop himself from smiling. "I mean, I was confessed to. By Hajime."

"Who else could've confessed to you? Finally!" Komaru exclaimed cheerfully. "If I didn't know you, I would've assumed you've been dating for a while now!"

"And what did you say?" Makoto asked. "You said you return his feelings, right?"

"I..." Komaeda paused for a moment. "...started crying."

"...why would you do that?"

"I was just so happy that I couldn't help it," he laughed. "You should know the best that I'm not the easiest person to put up with, and yet... He said he loves everything about me. It's like a miracle, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't call it a miracle, but to you it probably feels this way," Makoto said with a nod. "Well, good luck, Nagito! See? It turned out that it was a good idea to make you go to the audition!"

"It was. I must thank you for that," he admitted.

Even if Makoto couldn't think of it as of a miracle, to him it definitely was one. For normal teenagers dating someone wasn't anything unusual, so Makoto and Kirigiri's case was a lot different from his own. While they were just normal, he always seemed different, out of place, unwanted, worthless... A misfortune-attracting outcast.

But he wasn't worthless. There was someone who came to love him, so he definitely wasn't worthless. Someone came to love him, so... It was high time to start loving himself too.

"Hey, Makoto, Komaru... Do you think it's possible for me to go to school now?" He asked hesitantly.

"Huh?"

"I mean, without having to start from the beginning and studying with younger kids. I've been studying by myself, so it would be a waste of time to do the same material twice..." Komaeda explained, making his cousins even more confused.

"I have no idea if something like that is possible..." Makoto stated. "Maybe they would make you take some test, to check if you're on the same level as the rest of your year?"

"...are you serious about it, Nagito?" Komaru asked with worry in her voice. It wasn't surprising -  he was always claiming he's better off without it.

"...I am. I'm done with giving up on my own happiness," he said quietly. "From now on, I'll be working hard to make a future for myself."

The Naegi siblings exchanged looks, wide smiles appearing on their faces. They were probably waiting for this day, for him to finally stand on his own.

"Are you planning on going to the same school as me?" Makoto asked him. "If you went there, I could try to help you somehow..."

"I'm sorry, but... I was thinking about the shool Hajime and Mioda-san are going to," he replied, hoping his cousin wouldn't be disappointed. He didn't seem to be though - he kept on smiling.

"That's also good. You won't be alone there."

"Yeah! And if Hinata-san ever hurts you, I'll punch him in the face!" Komaru exclaimed, making him laugh.

"That won't be necessary..."

"Hey, Nagito," Makoto spoke up again. "Let's talk about it with our parents. I mean, about you going to school. I'm sure they'll figure something out and help you with it."

Some time ago he would've refused, saying that he didn't want to cause them any trouble, but now... He was aware that without relying on others he wouldn't be able to go very far in life.

"...okay. Let's do this."

***

That night, like many times before, Hinata couldn't fall asleep. He was beginning to think that he was either insomniac, or just liked to over think things, what prevented him from falling asleep. Though for once, it wasn't because he was worried about something.

Well, it's obvious that he was wondering how things are going to look from now on, but he was sure it'd be fine, no matter what. Though there might have been one thing that slightly bothered him.

His parents. If he wanted to be with Komaeda, he'd have to tell them about it sooner or later... At least his mom. She was too nosy to hide it from her...

Also, he didn't want to hide it. He wasn't ashamed of being in love, so he wanted their relationship to be official, without having to keep it a secret... It's not like he had to tell her right away though.

Things were different when it comes to their friends. This one time, he chose to take a bus instead of a train to avoid Mioda yelling at him in the morning. At least until everyone would be yelling.

As always, he headed straight to the restaurant room, hoping Mioda wasn't there yet... Nanami was fine, she was more considerate, but Mioda was a different story.

He didn't expect to meet Komaeda lurking through the door.

"...what are you doing, Nagito?" He asked, slightly amused by the fact that he actually jumped when his voice reached him.

“Shhh!” Komaeda put his finger over his mouth, silencing him. “I’m still thinking about how to avoid explaining what happened yesterday and…”

Hinata in turn found a different way to make him go quiet. He simply took his hand and pulled it away from his mouth, placing a short kiss there instead. The results were instant – Komaeda stopped talking and just stared at him with wide eyes.

“Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t be so forward, but you’re panicking way too much.” Hinata couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “We don’t have to explain anything. I’m pretty sure they can imagine what happened.”

Komaeda probably needed a few seconds to process what happened, then blushed furiously.

“D-d-did you just—“

“I did.”

“There are security cameras in this building.”

_Shit. I forgot about it._ “It doesn’t matter.”

“Your expression says something different.”

“Can you guys like stop hiding from us? I’m hungry, but I have no intention of eating you,” Owari said, sticking her head out of the room and startling both of them.

“O-of course…” Hinata muttered, grabbing Komaeda’s hand and pulling him along, not giving him any chance to protest.

Inside were only Yukizome, Nanami, Kuzuryuu, Souda, Nidai, and for some reason Hanamura. Sonia and Tanaka were apparently still absent, leaving them with an incomplete team.

“Yo. Where have you lost Mioda?” Souda asked them casually. “She usually comes with Hinata, right?”

“Hajime… is probably avoiding her on purpose, I think,” Nanami stated. “Because she’d make too much noise.”

“About what?” The pink-haired boy frowned.

“About yesterday, right?” Hanamura spoke up cheerfully. “Don’t look so surprised, I’m well informed.”

“So, Hinata? Komaeda? Anything you want to tell us?” Kuzuryuu asked, looking as if he was only waiting for them to finally break the news to them. Besides Nanami he was probably the person who’s been cheering on them the most.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Komaeda replied, looking away and most likely forgetting that the was still holding Hinata’s hand.

“Don’t play dumb, you moron!”

“I’m not—“

“We’re a couple now. Me and Nagito. Happy?” Hinata sighed, not seeing any reason for avoiding answering the question.

“Yeah, pretty happy if you ask me,” Kuzuryuu said. “Maybe now that you’re officially a couple we’ll be free from your awkward flirting.”

“I doubt it,” Nanami mumbled. “They still have a lot to learn…”

“I don’t want to hear it from you!” Hinata exclaimed.

“So, now that you’re finally out of the closet…” Owari started bluntly. “How was Narnia?”

 For a moment they fell silent, then Nidai burst out laughing, and soon Yukizome did the same.

“I can’t believe it’s Owari-san who made that joke…” Nanami said, and it was hard to tell whether she was more confused or impressed. “And Mioda-san couldn’t see that…”

“What are you laughing at? My younger siblings love Narnia!” Owari stated.

“Narnia was fine, I guess. I liked the books,” Komaeda said, completely fine with the change of topic, but…

“W-wait, you mean like… you and Komaeda… t-together?” Souda choked out, visibly shocked. “How…?”

“Uhm. I asked him out. That’s how. It’s really this simple,” Hinata replied, fighting his urge to laugh.

“But… why?!”

“Because I like him. I think something like this should be obvious?”

“He’s a lost cause,” Kuzuryuu sighed. “Listen, Souda, a day would be enough to notice they’re into each other. It wasn’t a day in your case, but months. You’re either fucking blind or just fucking stupid.”

“What are you saying?!”

“He’s kind of right though,” Hanamura admitted.

“Yeah, there is something about it, probably…” Nanami added.

“I can’t disagree, to be honest,” Nidai said with a nod.

“Well, you’re not really perceptive,” Yukizome stated.

“Righ, even I noticed,” Owari spoke up.

“I don’t want you calling me dumb!” Souda shouted at her. “I’m fine with Nanami or Hinata doing that, since they’re smart, but you’re just as dumb as me!”

“No one can reach your level of stupidity,” Kuzuryuu said in response. “Even Owari is better. But anyway, congratulations, Hinata, Komaeda.”

“But how is it that everyone seemed to know, except for me?!” Souda didn’t want to give up.

“They weren’t really hiding,” Hanamura said. “Remember that trip to the amusement park? Now you can go all the wa—“

“Shut up, it’s their private life, nothing you should be discussing here!” Kuzuryuu snapped at him.

“Kuzuryuu-kun is such a prude,” the other boy commented, making his face go red.

“Now that you mention it… I think I’ve never even seen him and Pekoyama-san kiss…” Nanami stated.

“Of course you haven’t, it’s not something one should do in public!”

“Sonia and Tanaka don’t seem to care about it,” Hinata muttered, rembering well how affectionate those two could get.

“Talking about them… Where did those two get lost?” Nidai asked. “I swear I’ve seen them today.”

“Yeah, me too…” Souda nodded.

“We should get to work soon, so let’s look for them,” Yukizome commanded. “I understand that you’re all happy for Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun, but let’s not waste time.”

They didn’t have to look long. They found them in one of the other scenography rooms, currently looking like the crummy room in the Grape House, sitting on the bed close to each other and looking as if they were even closer before they heard them. Sonia nervously tried to fix her hair, while Tanaka just moved away, red on the face.

“I’m beginning to understand what Kuzuryuu meant…” Souda said, making a disgusted face. “Get a room, you two.”

“Well, technically they are in a room,” Hanamura commented, making the couple even more flustered.

“It is not what you think it is!” Sonia  tried to explain, but Tanaka's silence was speaking for itself, making all of them laugh awkwardly.

"We won't tell Yukizome-san, but get your asses out of here,” the pink haired boy sighed. “I get that Tanaka is out of the show after this chapter, but…”

He couldn’t even finish that sentence. Tanaka interrupted him with a quiet ‘Igottago’, stood up and left the room, leaving Sonia with Nanami, Hinata, Souda, Hanamura and Komaeda.

“You should consider breaking up with him, Sonia,” Souda said, for once not sounding as if he was being serious about it. Actually, it’s been a while since he last made a comment like that. “Look, he left you at our mercy.”

Sonia blinked a few times, then tilted her head to the side, still looking at Souda.

“Is something wrong, Sonia-san?” Nanami asked her, since she didn’t seem to be worried about Tanaka running away.

“Souda-san just called me ‘Sonia’.Without any honorifics, like he usually does,” she replied, still looking a little surprised.

“I-Is there anything wrong with it?” Souda muttered when everyone turned their heads to him. “I don’t use honorifics for anyone other than Yukizome-san, so…”

“No, no, there is nothing wrong with it,” Sonia interrupted him. “If anything, I am glad!”

“G-Glad?”

“Glad that you are finally treating me the same way as you treat others!” She stated with a wide smile. “Now I feel that we can really become good friends!”

“So you still didn’t consider him a good friend up till now…?” Komaeda asked, causing them all to fall silent for a moment. He still was as awkward as ever.

“Are you’re telling me that you’re dating this guy,” Souda said, looking at Hinata.

“I am,” he sighed.

“He is,” Komaeda added cheerfully.

“He is,” Nanami confirmed.

“He is!?” Sonia shouted, finally standing up from the bed and immediately funning up to them. Then, without any warning, she hugged both of them. “Congratulations!”

“Eh? Thanks?” Hinata mumbled, taken by surprise.

“It is such a good day!” She laughed, then left the room, leaving them confused, especially Komaeda.

“Tell that to Nidai-kun, whose body we are supposed to find today…” Nanami said quietly but got ignored.

“Everyone seems awfully happy about the fact that you started dating… It’s suspicious,” Souda muttered.

“It’s not,” Nanami replied. “We were waiting for this… All of us…”

“Wait for Mioda’s reaction,” Hinata added. “She’s going to beat everyone else at this.”

“Nothing’s going to surprise me anymore, nothing.” Souda just shook his head in resignation, then followed in Sonia’s steps. “This is insane…”

“I don’t really understand why Souda-kun is so surprised. We could always see that-“

“Don’t finish that sentence, Hanamura.”

***

Mioda really appeared, but about an hour later, dragging Tsumiki with her. Nobody knew where she caught her, but she seemed pretty confused.

“Hajime-chan doesn’t like Ibuki anymore. He found himself two new friends and he doesn’t need Ibuki to spend time with him,” she whined, sitting down on the floor. “He even started avoiding her.”

“I didn’t. Also, your boyfriend would be jealous.”

“He wouldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t,” said boyfriend confirmed.

“Okay, then mine would,” Hinata said, but after a second he added. “No, actually I don’t think he would be…”

“YOUR WHO,” Mioda shrieked, jumping to her feet even faster than she sat down before. “YOU REALLY DID THAT-“

“Yeah, I think I did,” he replied. “Did I, Nagito?”

“Hmm, I think you did?”

Hinata was surprised by the fact that she didn’t just ran up to them to hug them like Sonia did. Actually, she didn’t move at all for the next minute. Instead, she started crying.

“It’s happening,” she whispered loudly. “I’ve been waiting for 84 years.”

“Why the hell are you crying!?”

“Everything’s fine, Ibuki’s just happy for Hajime-chan. When she first met him she was scared that he’d spend his life alone.”

“Was he really that bad? It’s hard to believe for me,” Komaeda asked, sounding quite amused.

“Believe me, the old Hajime-chan wasn’t as easy to befriend as this one here,” Mioda explained, pointing at Hinata. “You wouldn’t have fallen for that one.”

“I would love to argue with that, but I can’t,” he sighed.

“I’m sure there was still something that would make me interested in you,” Komaeda said, smiling at him innocently.

“Why are you guys like this,” Souda muttered with a frown. “Were you always like this, and I just haven’t noticed it yet?”

“They were,” Nanami confirmed. “Almost since the very beginning.”

“Incredible. And you’ve been enduring it from the very beginning?”

“Whenever they become too much… I just turn my focus off… or take a nap.”

“We’re still here,” Hinata reminded them.

“I know! And now that I see how much of a cliché couple you are, it makes me angry!” Souda stated.

“Are we a cliché couple, Nagito?”

“Probably? Why are you asking me?”

“I think you should just move on, Souda-kun… like everyone else did…” Nanami said.

“Right, right!” Mioda wiped her tears away, then threw herself at Souda’s back. “Come on, Ibuki and Kazuichi-chan can be a cliché couple too!”

“Hell no, it wouldn’t suit us,” he replied, but actually let her climb onto his back and put her arms around his neck.

“Eeeh? But Ibuki wants to!”

“You’re just messing with me!”

Hinata watched Komaeda laugh at this silly scene and remembered that he actually was worried not so long ago…

But there was nothing to worry about anymore. There was no one to judge him, but so many people to support him.

And that’s the way it should be.

***

“So we’re doing Suzuki’s point of view tomorrow?” Hinata asked, glancing at the script Komaeda was holding as they were leaving the building. “You probably don’t like the idea of it much…”

Komaeda fixed his scarf with his free hand and closed the script. “It’s fine. It’s not really a long scene, and it’s basically only an internal monologue.”

“Hey…”

“It’s really okay. I’m simply playing a role, nothing to be scared of,” he said, flashing him a smile. “What do you think of this kind of attitude? I think it’s not too bad. But maybe I should go back to the previous one, changing it might affect my performance…”

“I doubt it would, mister perfection,” Hinata snarked. “I don’t think stopping identyfing with your character is going to turn you into a bad actor. Nobody will even notice a difference. Except for you of course, since you’re going to feel better.”

“I guess you’re right,” he laughed. “I kind of feel lighter now.”

“I’m glad about it,” Hinata said, honestly thinking that, because it really was a big step forward for both of them. “…it’s still early, isn’t it?”

“Yhm, pretty much. It’s weekend, so we always leave a little earlier,” Komaeda replied. “Why are you asking?”

He checked the hour on his phone, trying to calculate how much time they had. There still was a few hours they could make good use of… And there were a lot of new things Hinata wanted to try out.

“I’ve got an idea,” he spoke up. “Let’s go on a date, Nagito.”

“…eh?” Komaeda gave him a confused look, then blushed heavily. “Y-You mean… like, now?”

“Yeah. Do you have any plans?”

“I don’t, but...” He muttered, hiding his face in the scarf like Tanaka sometimes did. “I guess you would want to do things like that, since we’re d-dating…”

“And you don’t want to?”

“I want! Of course I want!” Komaeda exclaimed, revealing his face again. “But… what can two guys even do on dates…?”

“I don’t know? What are couples usually doing on dates?” Hinata wondered. “Mioda and Souda went ice skating, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us. Knowing you, you there’s a chance you’d break something.”

“Thanks for believing in me, Hajime,” he sighed.

“You know it’s true! Anyway, I think there isn’t much difference no matter who goes on the date? Let’s just have fun.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Komaeda asked. “It’s your idea, so I’ll leave it to you.”

“You could also put some effort into this,” Hinata muttered. “Hmm… We could go see a movie, I guess. Isn’t it the typical stuff for a first date?”

“It could work, I guess… So we go with the most cliché route?”

“We’re already cliché, you heard Souda,” he reminded him.

“Usually it’s the boy who pays for the date. What are we going to do about it?”

“We can always just switch? Today it was me who asked, so I’ll pay. Why are you looking for problems so much?"

“I’m not!” Komaeda denied. “It’s just that… I have a lot of money, I can pay…”

“Yes, and it’s not like I’m a working actor and don’t have to worry about money. We’re not a married couple discussing our finances yet, Nagito.”

“…yet?”

The moment Komaeda asked that one-word question Hinata realized his mistake. He was pretty sure he haven’t blushed that hard in a while. He didn’t say that on purpose, it just slipped out of his mouth without him being aware of that. Also, he never actually thought about something like marriage, and even though it didn’t sound so bad, they were definitely too young for this.

“A-Anyway, money is not the problem here! We actually don’t have any problems here, so just agree to this!” He said, not giving Komaeda time to make any more remarks.

“O-okay,” he replied, his face also red. “If you insist on this…”

They walked in silence for a moment, then Hinata noticed Komaeda rubbing his hands together. It was pretty cold that day…

“Here, you can have one,” he sighed, taking one of his gloves off. His boyfriend looked quite surprised, do he decided to clarify. “It’s for the left hand. Come on, just give me the right one.”

Holding hands in public probably wasn’t a good idea, but it was supposed to be a date, so he decided to take the risk this one time. Also, was it the first time they were doing this? Probably not.

And so, their first date began.

***

“So I got left behind today,” Nanami muttered, watching the two boys bicker from afar. They were still as awkward as ever. “I’m afraid… of leaving them alone…”

“Don’t you t-think they’ll be fine, Nanami-san?” Tsumiki, who was accompanying her, laughed cheerfully. "I think t-they're doing pretty well... I'm happy for them."

"I am too... But you don't know them as well as me, Tsumiki-san," Nanami said. "Hmm..."

"W-what are you thinking about, Nanami-san?"

"...should we follow them?"

"We!? W-why would we?! And why m-me?!"

"I don't really... want to do it alone... but with someone else, checking on them may become fun... I think..."

"B-b-but it's invading their privacy!" Tsumiki exclaimed, clenching her fists. "We shouldn't do that!"

"Hmmm..." Nanami wondered for a few seconds. "They wouldn't mind, I think."

"B-but isn't t-that their first date?! We shouldn't interrupt something so important!"

"...is it really that important?" Nanami asked, tilting her head to the side. For a moment the girls just stared at each other, both looking for an answer to this question.

"I... have no idea," Tsumiki admitted. "I-I've never been on one."

"Same here..." The other girl nodded. There was no way someone would ask a nerd like her on a date. She was never even interested in dating to begin with, it seemed like some boring social construct invented to keep people away from their hobbys and take their free time away.

But Komaeda and Hinata seemed to be having a lot of fun around each other... Maybe things were different if you were dating your friend?

“Hey, Tsumiki-san... Let’s go on a date then,” Nanami said on a whim.

“H-Huh!?”

“Of course… It won’t be like Nagito and Hajime’s date, but… we have to at least try this date thing out and decide for ourselves it it’s worth our time… I think,” she explained awkwardly. “Also… this way we can follow them…”

“Huh?! B-But… Are you s-sure you want to go with me!? You c-can’t be serious, Nanami-san!”

“I am, though,” she muttered, extending her hand to the other girl. Somehow she was hoping she’d take it. “Come on, Tsumiki-san… We have to hurry up, or else we’ll lose sight of them…”

Tsumiki looked around hesitantly, probably still unsure of what to do. Then she glanced at Hinata and Komaeda, walking away from them further with every second. Finally, she just closed her eyes and reached for Nanami’s hand, squeezing it more tightly than she most likely intended.

“F-Fine… I’ll go…”

Nanami only gave her a smile. “Let’s go then…”

***

“Now that we’re here… We don’t even know what kind of movie we should choose,” Hinata noted as they were standing in the cinema’s corridor.

“Well, it’s not like coming here was even planned,” Komaeda laughed. “From what I see, at this hour we have only two options… A horror movie and a romantic comedy…”

“Any requests on your side?”

“Personally, I like horror movies. They’re so ridiculous that they always make me laugh,” he stated. “Though there’s no way I’d be scared of them, so it takes away your chance of holding my hand in a moment of weakness.”

“Do you really think I still need an excuse to hold your hand? It may be our first date, but it’s not really anything new to us. And we’re supposed to be a couple now,” Hinata replied, making him blush again.

“Oh, yeah…” Komaeda scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “I keep forgetting about it…”

“Then you better stop forgetting,” Hinata said, poking at his forehead.

“Sorry, sorry! It’s just that I was in love with you for so long that I can’t believe it’s happening!”

His hand froze in the air as he could feel himself blush too. “I-I think we should try doing a better job at not being affectionate in public… but you’re not making it easy for me…”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he replied innocently.

“Somehow I want to both punch you and kiss you.”

“I don’t think you should do either of those in a place like this.”

“Just watch me,” he muttered, then sighed and looked away. “So? Are we going with the horror movie?”

“I guess so? Unless you want to watch the romantic comedy.”

“I think I’ll pass. Let’s go get some snacks.”

It didn’t really feel much different from when they were just hanging out, even though they called it a date. The biggest difference would probably be the lack of Nanami around…

_Well, I guess that’s what dating your friend means._

He glanced at Komaeda as they were walking up to the counter. He looked as if he was genuinely enjoying himself, being here with him. The look in his eyes haven’t changed much though. He’s been looking at him like this since a very long time ago, just…

Now he seemed happier.

“Why are you looking like this at me, Hajime?” He asked, noticing his gaze.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking that you look somehow… more at peace than usually.”

“Eh? Do I?” Komaeda looked surprised, but then laughed. “Maybe that’s true. I got what I always wanted in the end.”

“Listening to you is embarrassing.”

“Eh? Is it?”

***

“Seems like they chose the horror one… I think…” Nanami muttered. She glanced at her companion to confirm that she didn’t seem to be content with that choice. “I guess it’s not a good choice for us…”

“B-but… You wanted to follow them…”

“I’m not curious enough… to observe what they’re doing in the dark…” she commented. “I think there’s another movie that starts and ends at the same time…”

“I thought you didn’t like r-romantic comedies and stuff like that, Nanami-san,” Tsumiki stated, looking quite surprised. “You don’t have to do this for me…”

“It’s fine,” Nanami replied. “It may be fun to watch a movie like that once in a while… Well, it certainly haven’t done anything bad to anyone, I think. Let’s buy tickets for this one.”

A thought about falling asleep crossed her mind, but she was sure Tsumiki wouldn’t leave her alone there once the movie was over. She also probably wouldn’t mind her taking a nap with her head on her shoulder. Nanami saw Komaeda and Hinata do this multiple times, and it’s not like she hadn’t fallen asleep on both of them before…

“Should we buy some snacks?” She asked the other girl, who was currently looking around nervously, holding the strap of her bag. “Come on Tsumiki-san… or else we’ll be late…”

“O-oh, right…” She laughed half-heartedly.

“You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself…”

“W-well, we’re c-currently spying on our friends?”

“Isn’t it just a normal date if we choose a different movie?”

Hearing those words, Tsumiki blushed deeply and hid her face in her hands, and Nanami thought that she had seen a reaction like this before, but done by a different person. That person was Komaeda, and at first she couldn’t understand why would someone react this way to someone being nice to them, but…

She was beginning to get this.

"You know, Ts... Mikan-chan. I used to be very lonely too."

"H-huh?"

"I was sure that a boring girl like me would never go on a date... But here I am now. Thank you... for going along with my stupid idea..." she said, smiling at the other girl.

"E-eh? I-It's not stupid! And no need to thank me, Nanami-san!"

"Chiaki."

"Huh?"

"Call me Chiaki... like Hajime and Nagito do."

Tsumiki at first looked as if she was ready to protest, but Nanami did her best at trying to look firm. Again, she wasn't sure how it turned out, with her childish face... The other girl looked surprisingly convinced though, so maybe she was getting better at this.

“O-Okay… Chiaki,” she muttered, trying to stop herself from smiling. “Let’s go, or w-we’re really going to be late.”

***

“…can I ask what you are doing here?” Hinata asked, staring at a certain pink-haired girl. He didn’t expect to see her again that day, especially not there, not in the queue to buy popcorn. “Are you spying on us?”

“…rude,” she muttered, not sounding offended in the slightest. That only confirmed his words.

“I knew that we had forgotten about something we shouldn’t have…” Komaeda sighed.

“No, no, I actually let you forget about me… So don’t bother yourselves with me and have fun… I also have something to take care of…”

“Oh? And what is this?” Hinata raised his brow, clearly not believing her. Who would even believe something like this?

“To be honest, I’m on a date too,” she said. “Where did she go… Oh. Here she is.”

Nanami dived into the crowd only to appear back about two seconds later, pulling someone by the hand.That person was making an impression of someone who didn’t really want to be seen.

“…hello, Tsumiki-san,” Komaeda spoke up first, and even Hinata found it difficult to say whether he was surprised or not.

“…h-hello,” she muttered, covering her face with one hand. Her blush was still visible though.

“You know, Tsumiki… I know that Chiaki is surprisingly convincing and can be pretty charming when she wants to, but you really don’t have to go along with her stupid ideas,” Hinata said, pitying her a little.

“N-No, it wasn’t like this, Hinata-san!” Tsumiki tried to protest, but after seeing their faces she immediately gave up, knowing that they wouldn’t believe it anyway. “I’m s-sorry…

“For what? Do what you want. I can’t forbid you anything,” he replied. “Have fun, I guess, but… Spying is out of question.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about… Look, it’s your turn to buy popcorn, I think.” Nanami pointed at the counter, obviously trying to prevent him from continuing that topic. “We’re going to watch a different movie anyway… So bye…”

And so, they parted ways – Nanami with a smug look on her face, Hinata still giving her suspicious glances, Komaeda trying hard not to laugh and Tsumiki probably regretting her life choices.

“Why are you laughing at? I don’t really see anything funny here,” he muttered to Komaeda.

“But this is funny! I mean, Chiaki on a date? Even if it was only an excuse to follow us, it’s still pretty hilarious!” He said while giggling.

“Well, it may be a little unexpected, but let her live her life. It wouldn’t be good if she got tired of being a third wheel too fast,” Hinata sighed. “And I think it would be fine if she actually ended up liking Tsumiki. I mean, she’s a friend too, right? I wouldn’t have anything against it…”

“Don’t jump so far ahead though. I think that even if Chiaki comes to like anyone, it’ll take her a long time to figure it out…”

“Longer than you?”

“Excuse me, I actually figured it out pretty soon. The only thing that took me time was confessing,” Komaeda corrected him.

“You awkward dork.”

“Hey, I-“

“It’s fine, I love you anyway.”

For a moment Komaeda looked as if his mind went blank, but then without thinking he reached out for Hinata’s hand. “I love you, too.”

He was sure it would take some more time for him to get used to this, and even more to start being comfortable with replying, but… Apparently Komaeda could be fast sometimes. And it was Hinata’s turn to become embarrassed after seeing his wide smile. Instead of stuttering out some answer he chose to stay silent and let his own smile be the only response.

He really was happy, wasn’t he?

That didn’t stop him from being slightly bored about half an hour later. The ridiculousnees of that movie was pretty amusing, but the main couple was rather dull and wishing them death was actually easier than cheering on them. Finally, Hinata gave up and let his head drop on Komaeda’s shoulder.

“Not feeling like focusing on the movie?” He whispered to him and earning a nod in response.

“It’s even less interesting than I expected,” Hinata muttered in response. There wasn’t many people in the room beside them, and they were sitting in the last row alone, so nobody was going to kill them for a little chat. “Do you really find it that funny?”

“Well… It’s less funny than I expected,” Komaeda said, making him snort with laughter near his neck. “Hey, stop it, it’s ticklish…”

“Then what should I be doing, according to you?” Hinata asked, rising his head slightly. The other boy turned to him so they were close enough for their noses to touch.

“I d-don’t know?”

Hinata side-eyed the screen, checking if he missed anything important. “Look, they’re kissing again.”

“Are you just looking for an excuse to kiss me?”

“Maybe?” He teased, not expecting Komaeda to show him that he was getting used to being in relationship far more easily than they expected…

Because this time it was him to join their lips together, and Hinata could only subconsciously raise his hand to touch Komaeda’s face. It was still rather clumsy, as they were only beginning to learn, but… Those slow, tender kisses felt so nice that he couldn’t complain. It just felt right, as if they belonged together.

Well, maybe they did. All of the new things that came together with confessing were just making him happier and happier…

“You know, you don’t really need any excuses,” Komaeda whispered, their foreheads still touching. Even in the dark it was obvious his face was flushed.

“…good to know.”

 

Meanwhile, in another room, Nanami really fell asleep with her head on Tsumiki’s shoulder, not ashamed of it in the slightest and leaving the poor girl to deal with her racing heart on her own. She still had a lot to learn.

***

“Hey, if you really intend to still spy on us, you can give up. You’re terrible at this,” Hinata sighed, noticing Nanami hiding behind a wall near the exit.

“We’re not…”

“Instead of that, let’s just go together?” Komaeda suggested, making the girl open her mouth in surprise. She certainly didn’t expect that one.

“…huh?”

“Getting rid of you is impossible… Not that we even want to do that, you know,” Hinata explained. “Just stop this and come with us, it’s not like you’re going to bother us. You too, Tsumiki,” he added, noticing the other girl’s unsure look.

“Yeah, come with us, Tsumiki-san,” Komaeda said with a smile. “We’re just going to get something to eat and then most likely go home, we don’t have that much time.”

“…o-okay…” She nodded, reacting even before Nanami. To Hinata, it looked like she’s had enough of revelations for today. “Nanami-san, it’s a better option t-than following them…”

“Hmm, you think so?” The other girl wondered. “Okay then… We’ll go with you.”

It was too easy. Nanami was just too easy to convince. She completely dropped the act of ‘not knowing what he was talking about’ and left her hideout to join them.

“Where are we going? Can we hit up an arcade on our way? They sell food there too,” she stated cheerfully.

“We’re not going to an arcade,” Hinata cut her off. “And the most realistic possibility is that we’re visiting McDonald’s.”

“Not very romantic,” she replied.

“It’s fine with me. We’re better off not trying to be romantic,” Komaeda laughed. “It just turns out awkward.”

“McDonald’s then,” Nanami muttered. “I’m getting a Happy Meal…”

“B-But… This is not healthy…” Tsumiki protested weakly, but Nanami gave her a puzzled look.

“But they give you an apple with your set…”

“This attitude is going to kill you someday,” Hinata concluded.

“Well, you can live on junk food for a pretty long time, if you do it sensibly…” Komaeda exclaimed, making him glare at him.

“How are you still alive again?”

“Thanks for believing in me, Hajime.”

“I believe in you, but not in this case.”

Being alone with Komaeda was the initial purpose of their date, but now it was something they could have whenever they wanted, so what was the harm in taking Nanami and Tsumiki with them? Certainly none. And it was surely a better option than just having Nanami drag Tsumiki around while following them.

In the end they really just visited McDonald’s.

“Hey, what did you get?” Hinata asked Komaeda, pointing at the cup he was holding. He himself chose only the good old coke.

“A milkshake. Want to try it?” He replied, moving the cup closer to him. Hinata took his hand to keep him from moving away and leaned closer.

“Sure,” he muttered, taking a sip from the straw and immediately hearing Tsumiki’s quiet gaps. “…any problems there?”

“An indirect kiss,” Nanami stated calmly.

“Oh, an indirect kiss isn’t all Hajime is capable of,” Komaeda managed to say before Hinata covered his mouth with his hand. Tsumiki only stared at them with her eyes wide open.

“Here, Mikan-chan, look, it’s not a big deal...” Nanami handed her cup of coke to Tsumiki. “Try it…”

“B-But… we ordered the same thing?”

“Try it,” Nanami repeated, this time in a more nagging tone, ignoring the other girl’s words of truth. Tsumiki’s face became red again, but then she just sighed and did what she asked for. Hinata really felt bad for her. Dating Nanami would certainly be… troublesome.

“See? There’s no problem,” the pink-haired girl stated with a smile, taking her cup back and making Hinata and Komaeda exchange amused looks. “…any problems there?”

“None,” they both replied, knowing well what the other was thinking.

Everything was going well until they were about to part ways and go home – then Komaeda suddenly tripped himself, probably over his own foot. Hinata stopped him from falling on his face on the last moment.

“Hey, everything alright?”

“K-Komaeda-san!”

“…clumsy as ever…”

“I’m fine,” he laughed, but then, when he tried to make another step a frown appeared on his face.

“You’re not fine,” Hinata sighed.

“I am!”

“You’re not. Tsumiki, weren’t you a member of your school’s health care commitee? Can you have a look at his leg?” He asked the girl, knowing that his boyfriend certainly wouldn’t admit that it actually did hurt, too worried that he’d become a trouble.

“Of course!” Tsumiki replied immediately. “Leave it to me!”

“But I…”

“No complaining. Yukizome-san will kill us if we return you to her with an injury.” Hinata simply guided Komaeda’s arm to hold onto his neck and helped him reach a nearby bench. “Also… I’m the one looking after you tonight, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

The only answer he got was Komada strengthening his embrace and his soft hair tickling his cheek. It was… nice, huh.

“I-I don’t think it’s anything serious,” Tsumiki stated after taking a look at his ankle. “It’s not sprained… B-But maybe it would be better to get a doctor to l-look at this? I’m not a professional…”

“I trust your judgement, Tsumiki-san,” Komaeda said. “It’ll be fine if I just rest…”

“You really want us to get killed by Yukizome-san…” Nanami muttered.

“She’s not going to seriously kill us, calm down,” Hinata replied. “I think it’s time for us to part ways. I’ll take him home, since he apparently can’t walk.”

“Take me home… You mean, like…” Komaeda furrowed his brows. “No, you can’t-“

“Yes, I can. You’re getting a piggyback ride. Be grateful I’m such a good boyfriend. And that you don’t live that far away from here.”

“If someone sees us, I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

“You embarrassed yourself in front of us countless times, Nagito,” Nanami reminded him.

“Come on, it’s getting late. We don’t have the whole night, and we already practiced me carrying you on my back,” Hinata said.

“We’ll be going then…” Nanami stated. “Thanks… for not ordering us to go home at the very beginning.”

“Y-Yes, thank you!” Tsumiki added. “Today was really fun!”

“No problem. If you ever wish to hang out with us, don’t be afraid to tell us.” He directed those words at the latter of course, since the three of them were always together. There was a chance Tsumiki would feel like she’s imposing on them by joining, and he was sure none of them would want that.

“Hajime, stand still, I can’t climb up.”

“You already forgot how to do that? It wasn’t even that long ago!”

***

  
“Hey… Am I not getting heavy?”

“You are.”

“Let me down, I can probably walk at this point. Tsumiki-san said it’s not anything serious-“

“Quiet there. I said that I’d take you home, so I’ll do that.”

Komaeda’s grip on his neck strengthened once again as he hugged him tighter. There were almost there, so there was no point in convincing him to change his mind.

“It’s not a trouble for me, you know,” Hinata said, quessing what he was thinking about. “I would like you to depend on me more. Not like, completely, but just enough to let me spoil you a bit. You deserve it.”

“…I love you,” a muffled voice reached Hinata’s ears.

“Yeah, I know,” he laughed. “Thank you for this.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for…”

“Hmm, is that so?” Hinata hummed. “There’s probably a lot more than you think.”

His arms were most likely going to hurt as hell the next day, but it was worth it.

“Hey, Nagito. Do you mind if I reintroduce you to my mom? This time as my boyfriend,” he asked. “It’s fine if you say no, I’m not going to insist…”

“So you get along with your mom better?” He noticed something that even Hinata himself was trying to deny. “It’s fine with me. I already told Makoto and Komaru on my side.”

“I don’t really know how she’ll react though, so first I’ll talk with her on my own. I hope she’ll accept it…”

“There’s always a chance she already knows, just like everyone else,” Komaeda chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m happy, you know. That you find me important enough. For now though… It’s pretty late. Do you want to stay the night?”

“Sure, let’s give my mom more reasons to suspect you of leading her son astray.”

“Hey!”

“I mean I’ll stay. Let her think whatever she wants.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the result of my exhaustion and frustration guys. i'm sorry

**Author's Note:**

> About their names - I decided to change the ones of the characters they're going to play, since it would be weird if they were the same. In most cases I used the names of the actors from DR stage plays. At first it may be confusing when they talk about some characters, but I hope it won't be too annoying ;;;


End file.
